Five-year analysis of needlestick and sharps injuries among health care workers in Croatia.

BACKGROUND: Needlestick and sharps injuries are common occupational hazards among health care workers and may result in exposure to bloodborne pathogens. AIM: To assess reported needlestick and sharps injuries among health care workers at 2 university hospitals in Croatia. METHODS: We collated and analysed national surveillance and hospital data of needlestick and sharps injuries among health workers in 2 university hospitals in Croatia for the period 2018-2022. We compared the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (2018-2019) with the pandemic period (2020-2022) using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 3554 needlestick and sharps injuries were reported among the health care workers. Needles accounted for 2373 (68.6%) of 3458 reports with complete data on injury type. Nurses and medical technicians were the most affected group, accounting for 2358 of the national reports (51.4%; 95% confidence interval 49.7-53.0). Injury reports were higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic (1930 vs 1624). The difference between the 2 hospitals was not statistically significant (P = 0.41). CONCLUSION: Needlestick and sharps injuries remain an important occupational risk among health care workers in Croatia, particularly among nurses and medical technicians. Safer handling of sharps, better reporting compliance and targeted education can help reduce this occupational exposure.