A STUDY ON THE RISK FACTORS OF NEEDLE STICK AND CONTACT WITH SECRETIONS FROM PATIENTS AMONG THE STUDENTS OF URMIA UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

Every year a large number of health care workers deal with threats that are
harmful for their health. Medical science students in comparison with personnel are commonly exposed
to blood and body fluids. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the risk factors of needle stick and
contact with secretions from patients among the Students of Urmia University of Medical Sciences.
Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study implemented on 550 students of Urmia University of
Medical Sciences in 2015. A data collection tool is a questionnaire in two parts. The first part gathered
demographic information with seven questions, and the second part consisted 26 questions in three
sections: general information related to needle stick, questions related to patient contact with sharp
objects, and contact with the patient's secretions. The data were analyzed using the statistical software
SPSS-18 by applying descriptive statistics and chi-square.
Result: The results showed that participants aged between 19 and 34 years. The mean age of participants
was 22.19 ± 1.76,189 (36.6%) of students had experienced at least one needle stick during the training
period, 67(36.8%) of the students determined lack of caution as greatest reason, and 68(40%) students
stated that overcrowding of hospital wards as environmental factors, can lead to needle stick. Creating
of intravenous line procedure leading to the confrontation was the most frequent factor 48 (25.4%). Chisquare tests showed a significant relationship between the incidences of sharps injuries with gender
(P<0/02).
Conclusion: High levels of exposure with sharp objects and patients secretions necessitate the need for
training programs about the safety of students