Knowledge and safety practices on occupational hazards among operating room staff in Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan, Pakistan

Abstract

Background & Objectives: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are prone to occupational hazards, which may have a significant impact on their health and safety. Inadequate worker training, a lack of appropriate protection measures, and a high workload could worsen the situation, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality among exposed workers. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge and safety practices on occupational hazards among operating room (OR) staff of Mardan Medical Complex. Methodology: From April to September 2021, 109 OR staff participated in this cross-sectional study including the surgeons, the anesthetists, the technologists and the OR nurses. Data regarding the level of knowledge and safety practices among OR staff were recorded on a validated questionnaire. Data were analyzed on SPSS version 19 and presented in the form of tables and graphs. Chi-square test was used to find an association between categorical variables and P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Among all participants, 95% of surgeons were aware of the work-related hazards and their types, followed by OR nurses, technologists, and the anesthetists. The majority of OR personnel with less experience were least aware of the occupational hazards. The association with the participants job experience, degree of knowledge, and the safety practices was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The knowledge of the surgeons regarding occupational hazards and the safety practices was the highest, followed by the anesthetists, technicians/technologists, and the OR nurses in that order. Measures are required to promote safety practices and reinforcement of strategies aimed to minimize exposure to hazards. Routine training of staff on safety practices need to be initiated and made mandatory. Key words:  Healthcare workers; Occupational Hazard; Occupational Health Risk Citation: Amin B, Ali N, Shahzeb M, Ahmad S, Shah A, Ahmad N. Knowledge and safety practices on occupational hazards among operating room staff in Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan, Pakistan. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2022;27(1):59−64. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v27i1.2119 Received: Jul 28, 2022; Reviewed: Dec 15, 2022; Accepted: Dec 18, 2022