Objective To investigate the occupational environment and the incidence rates of occupational injury and infection among medical staff, so as to provide basis for healthcare reform and further development in China.
Methods Medical staff at various levels in 13 Shanghai hospitals across different categories were selected by a stratified random sampling strategy and invited to complete a structured questionnaire in the period of March 2011 to May 2011.
Results Four hundred and forty-two participants were enrolled to the survey, among which nursing staff accounted for 40.5% and participants from tertiary hospitals accounted for 50.7%. The utilization rate of personal protective equipment was 86.5%, and 59.7% of injury involving blood contamination objects reported tracing and testing the source of the contamination after injured by sharp instruments involoving blood contamination, in which the most common blood contamination was positive hepatitis B (36.2%). The nursing staff accounted for 50.8% and the tertiary hospital medical staff accounted for 45.1% among all the injury incidences, respectively. Only 47.3% of injured staff reported to the authority.
Conclusion Unsafe behaviors widely occur among the medical staff investigated. Their self-protective ability and awareness are yet to be improved, especially nursing staff in tertiary hospitals. Effective actions should be implemented to protect them from occupational injury and infection.
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