Sharps injuries among healthcare workers in Liberia and Ghana: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

There are little data on sharps injuries among healthcare workers in West Africa despite the region's high rate of hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus. The purpose of this study is to investigate healthcare workers' history of sharps injuries in Liberia and Ghana. An electronic cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Liberia and Ghana from February to June 2022. A link to the survey was texted to participants through professional association membership lists, including nursing, midwifery, and physician assistant organizations in both Liberia and Ghana and a physician organization in Ghana only. Five hundred and nine participants reported an average of 1.8 injuries per year in Liberia and 1.1 in Ghana (P ≤ .01); 15.1% of healthcare workers reported three or more injuries in the past year. Liberia had a higher proportion of frequently injured workers (P = .01). Frequently injured workers were evenly distributed across worker types. Workers in this region are vulnerable to sharps injuries. A frequently injured subset of workers likely has distinctive risk factors and would benefit from further investigation and intervention.