Needle Safety Awareness among Dental Nurses

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of needlestick injury (NSI) and the awareness and attitudes of dental nurses in Cuddalore district, India, toward needle safety. Responses were gathered from 102 dental nurses via a questionnaire that included demographic data, the prevalence of NSIs in the past 6 months, their causes, responses of dental nurses to such injuries, and dental nurses' awareness of injection safety practices. Altogether, 33.3% ( n = 34 of 102) of the respondents had sustained at least one NSI in the past 6 months. The knowledge of nurses who had not sustained a NSI was only marginally better than those nurses who had experienced a NSI in the past 6 months and the overall awareness and attitudes of the study population toward needle safety was poor.