Assess the Occurrence and Knowledge of Needle Stick Injury among Undergraduate Nursing Students

The present study was conducted at Caritas College of Nursing, Kottayam, and Velankanni Matha College of Nursing, Kottayam, to assess the occurrence and knowledge of needle stick injuries (NSIs) among undergraduate nursing students. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, and convenience random sampling was used to select 110 nursing students from the 2nd and 3rd year B.Sc. Nursing, and 109 students from the 4th year B.Sc. Nursing, who met the inclusion criteria. Data collection tools included a structured questionnaire to obtain demographic information such as age, gender, year of study, clinical experience, and frequency of NSIs, along with a self-developed structured questionnaire to assess knowledge levels regarding NSIs. A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility, following which the tool was refined. The final results revealed that among 329 participants, 12% reported experiencing an NSI while 88% had no such occurrence. Regarding knowledge levels, 75.1% demonstrated excellent knowledge, 20.7% had good knowledge, 3.6% had moderate knowledge, and 0.6% had poor knowledge. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between occurrence and knowledge of NSIs. Although the findings suggest a high level of knowledge among nursing students, the gap between knowledge and practice highlights the need for greater emphasis on preventive measures.