Varsou, O. , Lemon, J. S. and Dick, F. D. (2009) Sharps injuries among medical students. Occupational Medicine, 59(7), pp. 509-511. (doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqp103) (PMID:19690079)
Full text not currently available from Enlighten.
Abstract
Background: Medical students may be at risk of sharps injuries for several reasons. These exposures can transmit a range of blood-borne pathogens including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus. Aims: To evaluate medical students’ knowledge regarding the prevention and management of sharps injuries and their experience of such exposures in the calendar year 2007. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based, survey of fourth and fifth year medical students enrolled at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. All students were at the mid-point of their year of study. An invitation e-mail and two electronic reminders were sent, on specified days, to the study population. These contained a summary of the study and the link to the anonymous questionnaire. Results: Of the 395 medical students e-mailed, 238 (60%) responded. When compared with fourth year medical students, final year students had higher mean knowledge scores for sharps injury management (P < 0.01). Of total, 18% reported resheathing used needles and 31% reported disposing of sharps for others, indicating poor compliance with standard precautions. In the event of an injury, 29% stated that they would scrub the wound. Only 44% were familiar with policies for reporting exposures. In all, 11% of students had experienced at least one contaminated sharps injury in 2007 and, of those, 40% had reported the most recent incident. Conclusions: Medical students are at risk of sharps injuries and their knowledge regarding the prevention and management of these exposures is limited: training on these issues should be increased.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Varsou, Dr Ourania |
| Authors: | Varsou, O., Lemon, J. S., and Dick, F. D. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Life Sciences |
| Journal Name: | Occupational Medicine |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| ISSN: | 0962-7480 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1471-8405 |
| Published Online: | 18 August 2009 |
University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record
Deposit and Record Details
Deposit and Record Details