Work

Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure and the Culture of Reporting Sharps Injuries at a Large Academic Institution

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Our study objectives were to describe injuries from sharps and gain insight into the culture of injury reporting among healthcare professionals at an academic medical center. We performed a retrospective chart review and analyzed sharps injuries reported in 2021 using chi-square analysis for categorical variables and t-tests or analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests for continuous variables. The highest rates of sharps injuries were reported by dental students (6.9%) and resident physicians (3.6%), followed by a smaller percentage of nurses, attending physicians, dental faculty, and medical students ( p < .001). The majority of injuries were reported to occur while administering an injection and/or working in the dental clinics (39%). The median number of days to report an injury was 0 days for dental students, 2 days for resident physicians ( p < .001), and 3 days for medical students ( p = .004). We found that sharps injuries continue to occur in the clinical teaching environment and could reflect procedures that confer a higher risk of injury. Further, our study suggests that there is a stronger culture of reporting among dental students.

Source: Journal of environmental health

DOI: 10.70387/001c.129534

Authors: Julie Caruth, Christeen Abadir, Ping-Hsin Chen, Noa’a Shimoni

Institutions: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Language: English

Topic: Infection Control in Healthcare

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W4409014292