A study to assess the effectivenes of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding prevention of needle stick injuries among health science students at AVMC, Puducherry

Needle stick injuries are a major occupational hazard among health science students due to frequent exposure to sharps during clinical training. These injuries increase the risk of transmission of blood-borne infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. Improving knowledge through educational interventions is essential for prevention. A quantitative approach with a pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design was adopted. A total of 160 students were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. After the pre-test, a structured teaching programme was administered, followed by a post-test after 7 days.The findings revealed that 55% of students had inadequate knowledge in the pre-test, while 85.6% achieved adequate knowledge in the post-test. The mean score increased from 7.90 to 18.85. Statistical analysis showed a highly significant improvement (p < 0.001). The study concluded that structured teaching programmes are highly effective in improving knowledge regarding prevention of needle stick injuries among health science students.