Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding needlestick injuries among nurses in a public hospital in Malaysia

TL;DR

This study examines nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding needlestick injuries in a Malaysian hospital and finds moderate knowledge but no strong correlation with injury occurrence.

Contribution

The study provides insights into the KAP of nurses regarding NSIs in a specific Malaysian hospital and highlights the lack of correlation between KAP scores and injury occurrence.

Findings

14.4% of nurses reported a history of needlestick injuries.

No significant association was found between NSI history and practice scores.

System-level factors may be more important than individual KAP in preventing NSIs.

Abstract

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) represent a significant occupational hazard among nurses, as they may result in serious consequences, including transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C viruses. Therefore, this study primarily aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to needlestick injury prevention among nurses at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) regarding NSIs. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed through universal sampling to 352 nurses at HCTM. Data collected included demographic characteristics and KAP scores related to NSIs. Among the respondents, 14.4% self-reported history of NSI during their professional duties, with 9.9% reporting at least one such event within their current department. No significant association was identified between a self-reported history of NSI and the nurses’ practice scores (p > 0.05). Furthermore, no significant correlations were identified between knowledge and attitude (r = −0.034, p > 0.05), knowledge and practice (r = 0.020, p > 0.05), or attitude and practice (r = 0.151, p > 0.05) among nurses at HCTM. Overall, the findings indicate that nurses demonstrated relatively moderate levels of knowledge, and relative high attitude, and practices related to NSIs. Despite these levels, self-reported needlestick injuries were still present among respondents. Within the limitations of this cross-sectional analysis, the findings suggest that individual KAP scores were not statistically correlated with NSI occurrence. System-level factors, including organizational conditions and institutional support, should be considered when developing strategies to strengthen needlestick injury prevention in healthcare settings.