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Background & Aim: Considering the importance and high prevalence of hepatitis C among substance abusers, especially injection drug users, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis C in self-introduced substance abusers in Farabi Addiction Hospital in Kermanshah in 2007.

Methods & Materials: A total of 263 drug addicts&apos medical files were assessed during the study. Data (individual characteristics and results of serological tests) were gathered through the files. Data were analyzed by measuring frequency of correlation between the variables (Chi square test and logistic regression).

Results: The mean age was 31.82±9.18 years mean duration of drug abuse was 121.7±29.1 months for prisoners. From 263 individuals in the study, 22.1% were infected with HCV. The most common ways of substance use were injection (33.1%), and fumigation (32.3%). There was no history of imprisonment in 74.9% of individuals and 52.9% had no history of drug injection. There was a history of physical or mental disorder in 25.5% of individuals. The Chi square statistical test showed significant relationship between HCV infection and substance abuse, and the way of consumption and the t-test showed significant relationship with average daily consumption frequency. The highest relative risk ratio was for positive history of physical or mental illness (OR=8.33), and positive history of imprisonment (OR=5.94). Having multiple sexual partners increased the risk of being infected with the HCV (OR=2.92).

Conclusion: The risk of HCV infection was independently increased with having a history of imprisonment, having multiple sexual partners, presence of physical or mental illnesses, and consumption methods in substance abusers.

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  Background & Aim: The most common types of medical errors are medication errors. Medication errors can cause serious health problems and should be considered a threat to patients' safety. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and types of medication errors and barriers to reporting errors by nurses in an educational hospital in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2012 .

  Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 96 nurses working in an educational hospital were randomly selected to the study. Review of medication errors and reporting them over the last three months were assessed using a valid and reliable questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-20. 

  Results: The prevalence of medication errors was 79.2%. The most common errors included giving oral drugs by mistake (53.1%) and medication later or earlier than the stipulated time (41.7%), respectively. Reporting the medication errors was 14%. Among the barriers to reporting the errors, barriers related to administrative issues were more highlighted than the staff relating barriers.

  Conclusion: The results showed high prevalence of medication errors and low rates of error reporting. Holding periodic courses on safe medication and using management strategies to encourage nurses to report errors are recommended.

  

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Background & Aim: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are a serious occupational hazard for health care providers and nurses that are often not reported for various reasons. Several studies have reported a different rate of this great challenge. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the prevalence of under-reporting of NSIs in healthcare providers in Iran.
Methods & Materials: By searching national and international databases including SID, Magiran, Google Scholar, IranMedex, Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus, 19 published articles were extracted. Data analysis was carried out through the random-effects model, and heterogeneity was investigated by I² index. The data were analyzed using the Stata software version 12.0.
Results: The rate of non-reporting of NSIs in 19 relevant articles in Iran with the sample size of 9274 was 59% (95% CI: 49-69). The rate of under-reporting of NSIs in the healthcare providers (64%) was higher than in nurses (55%). Based on the meta-regression results, there was no significant relationship between the prevalence of under-reporting of NSIs and the year of publication (P=0.138), sample size (P=0.390) and age (P=0.918).
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that more than half of health care providers did not report NSIs. Notifying health care providers about the risks of NSIs and properly dealing with the injured cases is necessary in order to increase the reporting of NSIs.
 

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Background & Aim: Needlestick injury is an occupational risk. Medical university students are more likely to prone to this kind of injury in comparison to other students due to their limited knowledge, skills and clinical experiences. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of needlestick injury in medical university students in Iran.
Methods & Materials: In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, 22 papers written by Iranian researchers published in Persian and English, were included without time limitations. The articles were found by searching Iranian (Magiran, Scientific Information Databases (SID) and IranMedex) and international (Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus) databases. Data were analyzed using meta-analysis method and the random effects model.
Results: The overall prevalence of needlestick injury among medical university students was 47% (95% CI: 39-55). There was no relationship between vaccine coverage, age of samples, and sample size with the prevalence of needlestick injury. The prevalence of needlestick injuries significantly decreased with increase in the publication years of articles (P=0.03), and significantly increased (P=0.049) with lack of reporting.
Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of needlestick injury in the students of medical sciences universities, it is of great necessity to design educational programs focusing on the proper use of sharp and cutting instruments as well as the importance of reporting and modifying professional behavior such as avoiding the reinsertion of needles in order to reduce the incidence rate of needlestick injuries.