Prevalence, Attitude and Risk Factors Regarding Needle Stick Injuries among Nursing Students

Abstract

Needle stick injuries are the most common occupational threat to healthcare professionals. Nursing students are the most vulnerable population for needle stick injuries among nurses and other healthcare workers. This study aims to find out the prevalence, attitude, and Risk Factors of NSI among nursing students as well as to identify the risk factors related to NSI. A cross-sectional survey approach is used in this study while data was collected via convenient sampling from 105 Generic BSN students who perform their clinical duties. The data reveals that hurrying (55.38%) and inattention (23.07%) are the most common worker-related causes of unsafe healthcare practices, with work-related factors like overcrowding (40%) and insufficient protective measures (26.15%) also contributing. Glove use compliance is higher in risky patient care (47%) but drops to 24% in resuscitation. Needle handling shows 54% recap needles and 41% dispose of them properly. Additionally, 61.9% of nursing students experienced needle or sharp injuries, but only 27.69% reported the incidents, and 56.19% had received protective training. In conclusion, unsafe healthcare practices are influenced by both worker-related and environmental factors, with hurrying and inattention being the most common causes. Compliance with safety measures, such as glove use and needle disposal, is inconsistent, and a significant number of nursing students experience injuries but fail to report them. Training on protective measures is essential to improve safety and reporting practices.