Background: Some studies indicate unsafe injection practices, which are associated with the transmission of blood-borne pathogens, exist extensively, in the developing countries.
Aims: To investigate the status of injection services, knowledge and attitude of health workers with regard to injection practices at all levels of the health facilities in Jingzhou district of China; and to provide useful scientific data in order to formulate a feasible, standard measure on injection safety.
Settings: Four district health care facilities, 6 township health centers, 14 village clinics and 14 community health stations.
Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study.
Materials and methods: By examining the medical records in 2004, observing injection practices and interviewing health workers, the quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed.
Results: Out of 1,452 medical records sampled, 1,450 patients had received at least one injection in the period of hospitalization, with an injection rate of about 100% and an average of 10.9 injections per patient. The most frequent injected drug was antibiotic (48%, 7,674/15,857). The prescriptions of 5,655 outpatients were detected, with an injection rate of 52% (2,962). The field observation found that the proportion of unsafe injections was 16% (28/175) and that of unnecessary injections was 57% (99/175). Among 118 professional employees interviewed, those who knew that human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus might be transmitted by the contaminated syringes and needles accounted for 95% (112), 59% (70) and 89% (105) respectively.
Conclusions: Among the medical facilities of Jingzhou district, the injection rate was very high and the quality of injection practices should be further improved.