PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sarı, Hıdır
AU  - Dayan, Saim
AU  - Balkan, Hüsna
AU  - Çiçek, Yeliz
AU  - Özel, Mehmet
TI  - Assessment of sharps penetrating injury, mucosal exposure and compliance with standard precautions of health workers at a University Hospital in Turkey
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2023.44.6.20220898
DP  - 2023 Jun 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 588--593
VI  - 44
IP  - 6
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/44/6/588.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/44/6/588.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2023 Jun 01; 44
AB  - Objectives: To evaluate the compliance with standard precautions in healthcare workers who experienced a sharps penetrating injury or mucosal exposure using the compliance with Standard Precautions Scale, Turkish version.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary hospital. The occupational health and safety unit records of healthcare workers who were injured by a sharps penetrating injury or experienced mucosal exposure between January 2018 and July 2020 were examined. Compliance with the Standard Precautions Scale was assessed by having participants answer a questionnaire.Results: Of the 100 participants, 59% were men. Of all healthcare workers in the university hospital, 4.5% (n=100) were injured by sharps penetrating injuries or mucosal exposure. Of the participants, 95% were wounded by a sharps penetrating injury and 5% had mucosal exposure. The mean Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale score of participants with a sharps penetrating injury was 16.36±2.39 and with mucosal exposure was 16.80±3.03. There was no significant difference between the mean Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale scores of the sharps penetrating injury and mucosal exposure groups regardless of training on occupational health and safety (p=0.794).Conclusion: In conclusion, the frequency of a sharps penetrating injury and mucosal exposure in healthcare workers was similar to the literature. The compliance level of the healthcare workers measured with the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale was high.