Accidents with biological material among health professionals in Brazil: a cross-sectional study involving medication administration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17058/reci.v15i3.20304Keywords:
Accidents. , Occupational Exposure. , Biomaterial. , Licensed Practical Nurses.Abstract
Background and Objectives: Healthcare professionals, particularly nursing technicians, are frequently exposed to occupational risks involving contaminated biological materials, such as blood, increasing their vulnerability to infections like HIV and hepatitis B and C. This study aimed to analyze the association between biological material exposure during medication administration among nursing technicians, compared to other healthcare professionals. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using 69.129 work-related accident notifications recorded in the SINAN database in 2022. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed. The association measure used was the Prevalence Ratio (PR), with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and p ≤ 0.05. Results: Most affected individuals were aged 26 to 45 years (61.3%) and female (76.9%). Blood was the main biological material involved (74.7%). Nursing technicians showed a 2.54 times higher prevalence of accidents during medication administration compared to other professionals (PR = 2.54; 95% CI: 2.46–2.62; p < 0.0001). The Southeast region of Brazil reported the highest number of cases. Although 84.8% were vaccinated against hepatitis B, underreporting remains a concern, with 30.4% of Work Accident Reports (WAR) not issued. Conclusion: The high frequency of accidents among nursing technicians highlights the urgent need for public policies focused on prevention, improved reporting practices, and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Underreporting compromises health surveillance and calls for educational and organizational strategies to enhance workplace safety in healthcare settings.
Downloads
References
1. Guimarães HM, Corrêa APV, Uehara SCSA. Perfil e fatores associados aos acidentes com perfurocortantes entre a equipe de enfermagem. Rev Enferm UERJ. 2022;30(1):e68717. https://doi.org/10.12957/reuerj.2022.68717
2. Hosseinipalangi Z, Golmohammadi Z, Ghashghaee A, Ahmadi N, Hosseinifard H, Mejareh ZN, et al. Global, regional and national incidence and causes of needlestick injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. East Mediterr Health J. 2022;28(3). https://doi.org/10.26719/emhj.22.031
3. Forekevicz G, Rossa R, Schwab A, Birolim MM. Acidentes com material biológico: uma análise com profissionais de enfermagem. Rev Enferm UFSM. 2021;11:e60. https://doi.org/10.5902/2179769263570
4. Tejada-Pérez JJ, Herrera-Burgos MR, Parrón-Carreño T, Alarcón-Rodríguez R. Biohazard accidents, harmful elements to the wellness of healthcare workers, and their risk factors. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(20):13214. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013214
5. Liyew B, Sultan M, Michael M, Tilahun AD, Kassew T. Magnitude and determinants of needlestick and sharp injuries among nurses working in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Biomed Res Int. 2020;2020:6295841. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6295841
6. Alfulayw KH, Al-Otaibi ST, Alqahtani HA. Factors associated with needlestick injuries among healthcare workers: implications for prevention. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021;21:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07110-y
7. Mangueira LA, et al. Perfil das vítimas de acidentes de trabalho com exposição a material biológico notificados no município de Palmas, estado do Tocantins, Brasil. Rev Bras Med Trab. 2023;21(2). https://doi.org/10.47626/1679-4435-2022-869
8. Berhan Z, Malede A, Gizeyatu A, Sisay T, Lingerew M, Kloos H, et al. Prevalence and associated factors of needle stick and sharps injuries among healthcare workers in northwestern Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2021;16(9):e0252039. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252039
9. Kutubudin AFM, Wan Mohammad WMZ, Md Noor SS, Shafei MN. Risk factors associated with defaulted follow-up and sharp injury management among health care workers in a teaching hospital in Northeastern Malaysia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(11):6641. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116641
10. Bahat H, Hasidov-gafni A, Youngster I, Goldman M, Levtzion-korach O. The prevalence and underreporting of needlestick injuries among hospital workers: a cross-sectional study. Int J Qual Health Care. 2021;33(1):mzab009. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzab009
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mariana Lyrio, João Pedro da Silva Rocha, Caio Pires Silva, Anna Júlia Rocha Azevedo, Gabriel Silva Pinto, Jamile de Miranda Tavares, Caroline Santos Silva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The author must state that the paper is original (has not been published previously), not infringing any copyright or other ownership right involving third parties. Once the paper is submitted, the Journal reserves the right to make normative changes, such as spelling and grammar, in order to maintain the language standard, but respecting the author’s style. The published papers become ownership of RECI, considering that all the opinions expressed by the authors are their responsibility. Because we are an open access journal, we allow free use of articles in educational and scientific applications provided the source is cited under the Creative Commons CC-BY license.
