PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of needlestick injuries (NSI) in student nurses in Taiwan. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 931 student nurses from 16 hospitals randomly selected from the 132 accredited hospitals. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 708 of 931 students who were contacted for participation in this study. NSI during internship was reported by 61.9% (438/708) of students, of whom 14.2% (62/438) made a formal report. The majority (70.1%) of NSI occurred in the patient's room. Hollow-bored needles contributed to half (219/438) of the NSIs of which 86.8% were syringe needles. Just over half (53.2%) of those items involved in NSIs had been used on patients. Of the hollow-bored needles involved in NSIs, 21.5% had been used on a patient with an infectious disease. Vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) was lacking in 47.6% of students. CONCLUSIONS: NSIs and non-reporting of NSIs were highly prevalent in nursing students. More intensive education programs should be directed at students to increase their awareness of and compliance with Universal Precautions (UP) before commencing their practical work experience. Students need to practice prompt post-exposure evaluation so that the need for early intervention can be assessed. In addition, any public health and infection control strategy should-include a universal catch-up HBV vaccination program among students before commencement of internship. Ann Epidemiol 2002; 12:197-201. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
