Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatitis B is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and subsequent liver transplantation. This is a vaccine-preventable illness. Health workers continue to be at risk for blood-borne pathogens due to occupational exposures. The overall goals of our study were to determine the prevalence of exposure to needle sticks and sharp-related injuries (NSSI) and hepatitis B vaccination status among healthcare workers (HCWs) of Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital (NGMCTH), Kohalpur, Banke, Nepal. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs at the NGMCTH following ethics approval by the NGMCTH Ethics Review Committee. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to compile the data. Data was collected from September 15, 2021 to September 14, 2022. Collected data entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 22. Analyzed data were presented using simple descriptive statistics with appropriate figures and tables. RESULTS: A total of 304 among 506 HCWs (60.1%) participated in the survey were exposed to Needle sticks. Nine of whom (3.7%) were injured substantially (more than 10 times). Among nursing students, 21.3% had experience with NSSI. 71.7% of HCWs had received at least one dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, of whom 61.9% (44.5% of total HCWs) had received three doses. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that more than two-quarters of HCWs were exposed to NSSI. Despite being at risk, vaccination status was still low, and less than half only received three complete doses. Precaution should be taken when working with instrumentation and procedures. Hepatitis B immunization programs for HCWs should be delivered at no cost with 100% coverage and protection. Raising awareness about hepatitis B infection and immunization remains crucial to primary prevention.