Abstract
Background: Needle stick injuries are recognized as occupational hazards among healthcare workers, often leading to bloodborne infections with significant health and economic impacts. Few studies have compared the prevalence of needle stick injuries between healthcare workers in public and private facilities. This study, therefore, sought to determine and compare the prevalence of needle stick injuries and safety practices among healthcare workers in public and private health facilities in Lagos.

Methods: A descriptive comparative study was conducted among 215 respondents using a multi-stage sampling technique in public and private health facilities. Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, data was collected, collated, and analysed using SPSS version 25 software and presented using descriptive (percentages, summary measures) and inferential statistics (Chi-square test). The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value<0.05.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 45.1 ± 13.2 years. Respondents from public health facilities were older, with a mean age of 47.7 ± 13.7 years compared to 42.5 ± 11.4 years in private health facilities. More females were found in private health facilities (74.4%) compared to (65.6%) in public health facilities (p-value=0.04). The prevalence of needle stick injuries was 71.4%; however, it was higher in private health facilities (81.9%) compared to public facilities (60.9%) (p < 0.05). Approximately one-third (34.4%) of respondents in public health facilities practised suitable safety measures compared to 25.5% in private facilities.

Conclusion: The prevalence of needle stick injuries was high in both public and private health facilities but higher in the private sector. Safety practices were below average in both facilities. Increased health education and supervision should be deployed for effective infection prevention practices.

Key words: Bloodborne pathogens, Healthcare workers, Sharp injury, Safety practices, prevalence