Background
Although nursing students are at greater risk for needlestick injuries (NSIs) and
sharps injuries (SIs) than staff nurses, there is a lack of research on NSIs and SIs
in students, especially in different years of study. The purpose of this study was
to identify the risk factors for and prevalence of NSIs and SIs among nursing students
in different years of study.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional survey study using a questionnaire confirmed to be valid
and reliable, with a content validity index of 0.96 and reliability index of 0.82.
Results
A total of 878 nursing students (response rate, 76.61%), participated in the study.
NSIs/SIs, NSIs, and SIs were significantly increased by year of study (P < .001) in both the study period and 12-month prevalence. Four predictors for NSIs/SIs
were final-year study (odds ratio [OR], 11.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.9-36.7),
perception of not receiving prevention training (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1-7.5), perception
of not using a kidney dish to contain used needles and sharps (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.7-10.3),
and perception of not immediately discarding used needles and syringes into a sharps
box (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2-7.4).
Conclusions
Preclinical training, reinforcement of kidney dish use, immediate discarding of used
needles, and adequate clinical supervision are essential elements in reducing the
risk of NSIs and SIs.
Key Words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: May 28, 2012
Footnotes
Funding for this study was provided by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University .
Conflict of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
