Underreporting of Bloodborne Pathogen Exposures in Nursing Students

Although nursing students perform many of the same procedures as licensed nurses, students are less skillful when handling sharps and are at higher risk of injury. Low rates of bloodborne pathogen (BBP) exposure reporting are described among students in all health care disciplines.

This study describes reporting behaviors of undergraduate nursing students who experienced a needlestick injury during a clinical practicum experience.

This study implemented a retrospective survey design to query the BBP exposure experience of nursing students in prelicensure nursing programs.

Of the 4140 survey responses, 6.6% (n = 274) of respondents sustained a percutaneous BBP exposure during a clinical practicum experience, and 52% (n = 127) of these exposures were not reported. Reasons for nonreporting included fear the student would "get in trouble," that the incident would affect the student's clinical grade, and concern about being perceived as lacking clinical skill.

Bridging communication gaps between students and faculty is essential to ensure that students report BBP exposures to permit access to timely triage and exposure management.