Prevalence of Sharps Injuries and its Related Knowledge among Students of Hamadan University of Medical Science

There is some evidence that medical students are at high risk of bloodborne pathogens transmitted via sharps injuries. This study aims to survey the prevalence of sharps injuries and its related knowledge among students in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (HUMS).

In this cross-sectional study, 200 eligible students of anesthesiology, operating room and nursing in HUMS participated, who were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic form, a researcher-made knowledge of sharps injuries questionnaire and a researcher-made checklist of sharps injuries related factors. Data were analyzed by independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance in SPSS v.22 software.

The frequency of sharps injuries was 80 (40%). The mean score of knowledge about sharps injuries was 6.38±1.83. The result of independent t-test showed a significant difference between the score of knowledge and the exposure to sharps injuries (P= 0.005). The most common sharp tool led to injury was needle (34.5 %). Moreover, 35.5% of the sharps injuries was due to being in a hurry.

The prevalence of sharps injuries among the students of HUMS is relatively high. The exposure to sharps injuries is related to the students’ knowledge level.