Summary of Needlestick Injuries Among Nursing Students and Related Factors

Abstract During clinical training, student nurses are at a higher risk of blood-borne infections due to needlestick injuries (NSIs). Medical sharp instruments like syringe needles, stitches, puncture needles, scalpels, and ampoules can lead to sharp injuries by causing deep skin wounds that result in bleeding. Nursing students must know every facet of NSIs to safeguard themselves from the dangers. Nevertheless, due to their inexperience in handling needles and sharp items in a clinical setting, nursing students are more likely to suffer from NSIs than more seasoned nurses. This review aimed to determine how often and to what degree nursing students understood NSIs. A thorough search was carried out for relevant English research papers released from January 2013 to January 2024 in the databases of Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and CINAHL. The research focused on the prevalence, knowledge, and recognition of NSIs among nursing students and associated factors. This analysis showed that the high prevalence rate of NSIs varies widely between 6.2% and 67% worldwide and that nursing students have low to moderate awareness of them. The literature review emphasized many variables that might increase the frequency of NSIs, such as gender, time, education level, training location, characteristics of the injury, educational background, and workload.