Between July 1990 and June 1996, 284 exposures to infectious material were
reported by 247 health care workers (HCWs) at AHEPA University Hospital,
Thessaloniki, Greece, representing an overall rate of 2.4% reported injuries per 100
HCWs/year. Nurses reported the highest rates of incidents (3.0%) and in all but one
working group women exhibited higher injury rates per year than male HCWs. Young
workers (21-30 years old) were primarily affected in incidents (P< 0.001). Needles
were the most common implement causing injury (60.6%) and resheathing of used
needles as well as garbage collection were common causes of injury. None of the
HCWs seroconverted in exposures where immune status to blood-borne pathogens
was estimated. Efforts by the infection control committee need to be more intense, in
order to increase the rate of reported staff injuries. This will facilitate identification of
unsafe practices and provide more adequate preventive measures.
Key words: Health care workers; needlestick; sharp injury; underreporting