Assessing Health Threatening Problems among Nursing or Midwifery Students during the Clinical Education Course in Turkey

Abstract

Background: This study determined the occupational exposure and health problems experienced by nursing and midwifery students during their clinical internships. Methods: The study population consisted of 1719 nursing and midwifery students studying at the health sciences faculties of six Turkish universities in 2016. Data were collected using a questionnaire prepared by researchers, namely Occupational Exposure and Health Problems in Clinical Environment Questionnaire, and the State-Trait Anxiety Scale. The data were analyzed using Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis variance analysis, and Spearman correlation analysis. Significance was accepted in a 95% confidence interval and a level of P<0.05. Results: The students had a mean age of 20.86 yr (1.72), and 48.6% had midwifery and 51.4% had nursing major. More than 17.8% of the students were experienced occupational exposure during their clinical internships. Total score for students was 2.15 ±0.71. The scores of the students examined for exposure to hazards and verbal violence was 2.13 ± 1.17, for needle stick injury it was 2.10 ± 1.13. In addition, when the scores of the students' health problems were examined, insomnia 3.57 ± 1.22, low back pain 2.84 ± 1.29, shoulder or arm pain 2.68 ± 1.29 were determined statistically. There was a positive significant relationship between the mean clinical occupational hazardous exposure and health problems and state-trait anxiety scores (P<0.01). Conclusion:Approximately one-fifth of the students were exposed to occupational hazardous at the hospital while they were on their clinical internship programs. Students rarely experience occupational exposure, but often suffer from insomnia, sometimes musculoskeletal pains (back, shoulder arm, neck), rarely have skin problems.

Hemşirelik öğrencilerinin mesleki risk algısı, etkileyen faktörler ve mesleki kazalar ile ilişkisi: Kesitsel, çok merkezli bir çalışma

“…The sample of the study was similar to other studies in the literature conducted in Turkey. [2,10,12] The high number of females in the study sample was associated with having a high proportion of female students in the nursing schools in Turkey.…”

“…However, students are more likely to be exposed to occupational risks in clinical practice due to reasons like high number of students, the distribution of the students to different inpatient and outpatient clinics of the hospital and the workload of the supervisor nurses, etc. [2,10,14] Failure to perceive, underestimate or ignore clinical risks can lead to an increase in students' vulnarability to these accidents. [11] Although there are studies on occupational accidents that nursing students are exposed to, studies evaluating occupational risk perception and the factors affecting this are limited.…”

“…[1][2] When the literature about nursing students is examined, it is noteworthy that there are important safety deficiencies in clinical practices. [2,[10][11] OHS training has an important place in recognizing and avoiding clinical risks. [6,8] It is observed that occupational accident risk is higher in people who have not received OHS training before.…”

“…Nursing students encounter all occupational risks during their education that nurses may be exposed to. [2,[9][10][11] However, students do not have the same awareness, experience and knowledge about dealing with this situation. This makes students more prone to occupational risks.…”

Factors Influencing Occupational Health and Safety among Nursing Students in Their Clinical Placements: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Nursing students are considered a high-risk group because of their lack of experience in dealing with workplace hazards and complex environments, along with a shortage of instructors, which may negatively affect their internship pathways [1]. Because of their direct contact with patients, inadequate training in safety culture, and readiness to take risks, nursing students are likely to be exposed to pathogens and occupational health and safety (OHS) risks during their internships.…”