Knowledge about blood-borne pathogens and the prevalence of needle stick injuries among medical students in Serbia

Abstract

IntroductionMedical students are mainly exposed to needle stick and sharp object injuries in the course of their clinical activities during studying. They are at high risk due to their undeveloped skills, restricted clinical experience, lack of knowledge and risk perception. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of needle stick injuries of the fourth and final year medical students, and to estimate their knowledge about blood-borne pathogens disease transmission and standard precautions.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, in February 2014. The students were invited to self-administer a questionnaire of 26 closed questions prepared for this study.ResultsThe questionnaire was filled in and returned by 637 students. The prevalence of needle sticks and sharp object injuries was 29.5%. Needle stick injuries were the most common type of accidents, more frequent among the fourth compared to the sixth year students (p=0.002). The majority of accidents occurred in patient rooms (53%) and the emergency department (15%). 54% of participants reported an accident to the responsible person. Students without accidents had a significantly better perception of risk (3.79 vs. 3.35; p<0.05). Out of the total participating students, only 16.6% (106/637) received all three doses of Hepatitis B vaccination, while 16.2% were partially vaccinated.ConclusionsThere is a need for additional theoretical and practical education of our students on blood exposure via accidents, raising the awareness of the necessity of hepatitis B vaccination, and introducing the unique/comprehensive procedure for accident reporting for students and healthcare workers in the entire country.

Community attitudes towards the mentally ill in Serbia

“…more female participants in the Medical Students group. This proportion of male/female gender in our groups is an accurate representation of large medical student populations in Serbia, and has been shown in previous studies [25,26] . Female gender has been consistently associated with more compassionate approaches towards the mentally ill [24] .…”

Epidemiology and risk factors of needlestick injuries among healthcare workers in Iran: a systematic reviews and meta-analysis

“…Occupational contact with blood and body fluids, followed by blood-borne infections, poses a significant risk to healthcare personnel [ 2 ]. At least 20 pathogenic pathogens can be transmitted following these injuries [ 3 , 4 ]. Worldwide, about 25% of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and about 2.5% of HIV infections occur among healthcare workers due to NSI [ 5 – 7 ].…”

Prevalence and associated factors for needlestick and sharp injuries (NSIs) among dental assistants in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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