Analysis of Work-related Injuries among Health Care Workers in Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Safety of healthcare workers (HCWs) is essential for patients safety. Despite of this fact, HCWs are at high risk of work-related injuries (WRI). Those injuries include falls, musculoskeletal disorders, needle stick injuries (NSIs) and workplace violence. These injuries have a negative impact on HCWs and reduces the quality of care. It is, therefore, important to analyze the occurrence of WRIs aiming the design of better targeted interventions to improve safety environment and work conditions in hospitals, which in turn, can improve the quality and outcomes of patient care.

Methods: A retrospective study collected data about WRI reports available in the Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region (AFHSR). Injuries were NSIs that occurred during the period from January 2010 to June 2015 and workplace violence during the period from March 2014 to June 2015.

Results: Total NSIs were 338 with a peak incidence of 85 (4.39%) during 2010, while the lowest incidence occurred during 2015 (n= 31, 1.12%). Regarding to workplace violence, 211 incidents were reported over the period of two years, and there was decreasing from 125 cases (4.73%) in 2014 to 86 cases (3.11%) in 2015.

Discussion: The analysis showed that nurses had the highest rate of NSIs and workplace violence as compared to other HCWs. The highest rate of NSIs took place in dental, family and community medicine clinics which are usually crowded and had more activities, but emergency room and other clinics had the highest frequency of workplace violence.

Conclusion: Needle stick injuries and workplace violence represent a major occupational challenge to HCWs in the hospital. To prevent those types of WRIs, there is a need for a system of environmental safety, continuous education, skills development, and infection control surveillance that is based on best available evidence of quality and safety best practices.