An exploration of sharps injuries within healthcare students at a UK university

Dr Kevin Hambridge and 4 nurse lecturer colleagues from the University of Plymouth have conducted a survey of sharps injuries sustained by pre-registration healthcare students. This includes students of nursing, midwifery, medicine, dentistry, dietetics, occupational therapy, optometry, paramedicine, physiotherapy, podiatry and radiography. The survey will ascertain which students sustain sharps injuries, what sharp devices are involved, what the causes of the injuries were, where they occurred, and the impact on the student. The grant of £2500 kindly donated by the Worshipful Company of Needlemakers was spent on the data analysis process and enabled a researcher to attend a conference to distribute the research findings. Identifying who, why, and where healthcare students have sharps injuries will enable prevention strategies to be implemented and will enable psychological support to be given. Many thanks again for the grant which has enabled us to complete this important research.

Click on the link below to read the publication. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17571774241238661