Knowledge Awareness and Attitude About Needle Stick Injury Among Dental Practitioners in Chennai

Abstract

Needle-stick injury (NSI) is one of the maximum potential risks for health care people. They pose a substantial risk of occupational transmission of blood-borne pathogens. Many numbers of health care people remain susceptible to deadly viruses especially, bloodborne pathogens. Dental professionals are more prone to Needlestick injury due to their limited working area. The main cause of this injury is due to improper capping of the needle, a technique used, handling the specimens, etc. The present study was done to determine knowledge and attitude about needle stick injury among dental practitioners and the action taken by them after the incident. A self-designated 15 questions were created and it was circulated among 100 dental practitioners. The results were collected and analyzed using SPSS. An effective plan should be made for the prevention and management of injury especially among health care professionals. Among 100 responses most of the people do not follow the protocol which indicates that there is a lack of adequate knowledge. From this study, we conclude that only 50% of the study population were aware about the needle stick injury and the infections spread by Needle stick injury. Even though a majority of the females knows about the Hepatitis B vaccination and its relation to needle stick injury when compared to males but they didn't undergo vaccination properly. There is a precise scope of development in terms of reporting and prevention of needlestick accidents.A need for awareness programs among dental practitioners repeatedly has been raised