The Awareness and Empowerment Aspects of the Needlesticks and Other Sharps Injuries and Reporting in Nursing Education: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background Occurrence and underreporting of needlesticks and other sharps injuries (NSIs) are still immediate concerns among nursing students. This study examined the relationship between occupational health and safety (OHS) awareness and empowerment levels of nursing students and the occurrence and reporting of NSIs. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among purposively selected 840 students in a nursing school in 2018-2019. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data about students' sociodemographic characteristics, OHS awareness and empowerment levels, and NSIs characteristics. After bivariate analyses, multivariate logistic regression was used. Results The number of evaluated questionnaires was 469, for a response rate of 55.8%. Participants, 21.2% (n = 99), had suffered NSIs, and 47.8% had reported their injuries. The NSIs were statistically related to age, academic year, working night shift, OHS awareness level of students, and the number of clinical placements completed by students. The odds of experiencing NSIs was 2.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.0, 5.3]) times higher in male students, 4.3 (95% CI = [2.4, 7.4]) times higher in those beyond the second academic year, and 2.5 (95% CI = [1.4, 4.4]) times higher in those who had received OHS training for a shorter period than the average duration. Conclusion/Application to practice The levels of awareness and empowerment were higher in students who received OHS and NSIs prevention training and those who received OHS training for the above-average duration. Increasing awareness and empowerment levels of nursing students through training can reduce the occurrence and the underreporting of NSIs.

Automated summary

This study examined the relationship between occupational health and safety awareness and empowerment levels of nursing students and the occurrence and reporting of needlesticks and other sharps injuries. The results showed that students who received OHS and NSIs prevention training and those who received OHS training for longer durations had higher levels of awareness and empowerment.