Perceptions of Needlestick Injuries among Medical Students and Residents in the Operating Room

摘要

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are the most common accidental sharp injuries among healthcare workers (HCWs). There are 385,000 needlestick and other sharp-related injuries reported per year affecting HCWs. Trainees of the surgical fields are at increased risk. The most common blood-borne pathogens are hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Our objective was to evaluate the basic knowledge about NSIs among GS and obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residents and medical students (MS). A seven-question survey was conducted to determine basic knowledge in needlestick-related infections, comfort level in dealing with an NSI, and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) (Fig. 1). Participants included GS residents (22), OB/GYN residents (17), and third-year MS (20) who had completed the GS and OB/GYN rotations at Providence-Providence Park Hospital, a community hospital in an urban setting. The survey was anonymous and voluntary. The statistical analysis was performed comparing all three groups using the chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests for categories with values of zero, to obtain the P values.