Exploring the Causes, Immediate Responses and Preventive Measures of Needle Stick Injuries Among Healthcare Workers: A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.

AIM: To combine, synthesise, and interpret qualitative evidence from studies exploring the causes, immediate responses, and preventive measures of needle stick injuries from the perspective of healthcare workers.

DESIGN AND

METHODS

In this qualitative evidence synthesis, the qualitative data from the included studies were synthesised to identify overarching themes. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis flowchart, Joanna Briggs Institute tool, and Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research checklist were used in the meta-synthesis process.

DATA SOURCES: The MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, ProQuest, ClinicalKey and Scopus databases were searched between December 14 and December 31, 2024 for studies published between January 2000 and December 2024.

RESULTS

Nine primary research studies were included and the following themes were identified: unpredicted patient movement, casual attitude, recapping, excessive workload, scarcity of article or safety equipment, inadequate training or experience, vigilance, ongoing training, nurturing workplace culture, emotional response, re-living the injury and fear of reprimand.

CONCLUSION

Needle stick injuries result from a complex interplay of individual, administrative, engineering, and environmental factors, but there are potential solutions to address these issues.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Policymakers in healthcare settings would benefit greatly from an understanding of the causes, immediate responses, and preventive aspects of needle stick injuries. These findings can direct the creation of focused interventions and safety procedures by identifying important risk variables and useful coping mechanisms.

IMPACT: The causes, immediate responses, and preventive measures of needle stick injuries were explored. Findings can help develop protocols to lower needle stick injury rates and increase worker safety.

REPORTING METHOD: ENTREQ guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This research is a systematic review of published peer-reviewed studies.

CLINICAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42024620673.