Abstract
The clinical rotations will increase the medical students’ exposure to patient care and the hospital environment. Due to a lack of adequate work experience, they may be at risk of needle stick injuries. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes of medical students at the University of Tabuk regarding these occupational hazards. Results are presented as percentages and means. The T-test and ANOVA are utilized to identify any statistically significant differences. Out of 402 students in the clinical phase, 208 students participated in this study (response rate 51.8%). The response rate for male students was 41.8%, while for female students it was 58.2%. The overall knowledge level of the students was 64.8%, there were no statistically significant differences in knowledge levels based on gender or academic year, with p-values of 0.436 and 0.879, respectively. The overall positive attitude among students was 78.0%. The female students showed statistically significantly more positive attitudes than male students. No statistically significant difference in the level of attitude based on academic years. The students demonstrate a fair level of knowledge and a positive attitude, but their knowledge scores remain below the target. Therefore, we recommend that a review and update of hospital precautions lectures, which include needle stick injuries in our curriculum, would be beneficial to students’ knowledge. Moreover, we recommend conducting a larger study to explore the prevalence of needle stick injuries among our students and the associated factors
Keywords: Attitude, Knowledge, Medical Students, Needle Stick Injury.