Major articlePrevalence of and risk factors for needlestick and sharps injuries among nursing students in Hong Kong
Section snippets
Methods
In this cross-sectional survey study, participants were recruited by convenience sampling from a university with the largest number of nursing students among the 4 universities providing nursing education in Hong Kong.17
Results
A total of 1,146 questionnaires were distributed and 878 were returned, for a response rate of 76.61%. The response rate was 95.57% for first-year students, 87.17% for second- or third-year students, and 58.87% for final-year students. Questionnaires were distributed to students in class on weekdays on their usual study days, except for final-year students. The final-year students had clinical placement during weekdays and were scheduled to attend a 2-hour seminar on one particular Saturday, a
Discussion
This study is the first large-scale survey of the prevalence of NSIs/SIs, NSIs, and SIs and their associated factors among nursing students in Hong Kong. Our finding of year of study as a predictor for NSI and SI are consistent with a report from Australia,19 but not with findings from Italy7 and Turkey.10 In Australia, the 12-month prevalence of NSIs increased with year of study, from 4.3% in the first year to 11.4% in the second year and then 40.4% in the final year.19 In contrast, in Italy
Conclusion
This is the first large-scale study investigating NSIs and SIs among nursing students. Our data show that the prevalence of NSIs and SIs varies with year of study. Preclinical training, use of a kidney dish, immediate disposal of used needles, and adequate clinical supervision are essential components to reduce NSIs and SIs. Future research should explore ways to improve injury reporting among nursing students.
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Funding for this study was provided by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Conflict of interest: None to report.