![]() Accordingly, poor sleep and fatigue adversely affect safety outcomes of EMS providers. 55% of EMS providers in the United States suffer from fatigue, which is higher than approximately 40% of white-collar workers who also complain of fatigue. ĮMS providers face increased levels of fatigue, reduced sleep, and encountered violence in rural areas. These findings show that there was an increase in the level of NSIs among HCWs in rural areas, and therefore there is an urgent need for intervention. ![]() Descriptive studies indicate an increase of acute HBV infection during 2006–2013 and acute HCV infection from 2006 to 2012 among persons aged ≤ 30 years in rural areas. The most common bloodborne pathogens, which HCWs are often exposed to through percutaneous injuries including NSIs and sharps injuries or blood and body fluids exposure, are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). ![]() The risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens can result in contracting infectious diseases. A study shows that there is a relative decease of NSIs among EMS providers due to the implantation of needlestick prevention polices, including self-capping needle devices and an annual review of all NSIs. Accordingly, training of how to use safety devices along with sufficient provision by the company contribute to decrease the rate of NSIs and other routes of blood exposure among EMS providers. Safety-engineered needles and sharps devices that are structurally developed are designed to reduce the risk of NSIs to HCWs including EMS providers. A study found that 80% of NSIs occurred without using proper safety devices. NSIs rate among EMS providers is higher than most hospital-based HCWs in United States. However, NSIs are the most common occupational injuries among EMS providers worldwide. This places EMS providers at higher risk of occupational exposure to infectious diseases.ĭue to many needlestick injuries (NSIs) and the improper use of sharp devices, the needlestick safety and prevention act was created in 2000 to increase protections of HCWs from exposure to blood-borne pathogens. Emergency medical services (EMS) providers are often exposed to blood, resulting in concerns regarding transmission of blood-borne pathogens. A study reveals a high level of occupational exposure to blood among HCWs. Compared to many other types of occupations, health care workers (HCWs) are at a greater risk of harm from exposure to blood and other pathogens. An estimated 320,471 employees die annually from work-related transmittable infectious diseases worldwide. Occupational injury and illness occur across an extensive variety of occupations. The results indicate a need to further examine NSIs and provide information regarding the safety precautions among urban and rural EMS providers. Female EMS providers are more prone to NSIs in urban areas compared to women in rural areas. Our survey of NSIs among EMS providers found that older, more highly certified, and more experienced providers reported higher frequencies of NSIs. Stratification methods were used and there was high varying proportion in NSIs between urban areas (38.50%) and rural areas (14.70%) among females (OR 0.28, CI 0.075–1.02, P = 0.05). Chi square test was used and there was a statistically significant association between NSI occurrence and age (P < 0.01) certification level (P = 0.0005) and years of experience (P < 0.0001). The majority of EMS providers (81.99%, n = 202) reported no NSI ever and 18.21% (n = 45) had at least one NSI within past 12 months. A total of 248 out of 522 (47.31%) EMS providers completed the survey. The survey consists of three sections: sociodemographic characteristics, whether or not got NSIs in the past 12 months, whether or not received needle stick training before. This cross-sectional study used a random sample of certified EMS providers in West Virginia. Through this study, we assessed the knowledge of EMS providers regarding needle stick injuries (NSIs) and examined differences by demographics.
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