A study of needle stick injuries among medical undergraduates

A study was conducted to determine the incidence and causes of needlestick injuries among 158 medical undergraduates who had completed their first clinical year. A response rate of 97.5% (154 out of 158 students) was obtained, of which 54 students (35.1%) reported at least one needlestick injury. The commonest cause of injury was during the process of venepuncture (27%), followed by uncapping of needles (22.2%) and recapping of used needles (19.8%). The highest incidence of injury occurred during a medical posting (33/154 students), followed by surgical posting (14/154 students) and elementary clinics (9/154 students). Formal training on handling of used needles was reported by only 15-23% of the students in the various postings. The awareness of risk of contracting diseases from needlestick injuries was high (84.4%).