| Sub-title | |
| Authors | E A Scicluna M Borg |
| Abstract | Background: Surveillance of needlestick injuries within St Luke's Hospital in the years 1999-2003 showed peaks of incidence corresponding with the time of employment of house officers. Method: Self-administered questionnaire distributed during the MD induction seminars of July 2004 and 2005 to assess the degree of theoretical and practical instruction in sharps use and injury prevention during their course. Results: In 2004, 73.5% of the junior doctors had performed more than five venepuntures within their entire undergraduate course but only 26.5% stated that they performed the same number of intravenous cannula insertions. More than half of respondents indicated a lack of confidence to safely perform these interventions without the risk of self-injury. The majority stated that they had had insufficient hands-on instruction on correct venepuncture (77.5%) and of intravenous cannula insertion (83.7%). The results from the 2005 questionnaire showed a significant increase (p<0.001) in the practical instructions of both venepuncture and cannula insertion which went up to 65.9% and 52.3% respectively when compared to the previous year. There was also a significant increase (p=0.007) in the number of junior doctors confident in performing these practices. These differences were accompanied in 2005 by an apparent reduction in the magnitude of injury incidence peak within the subgroup of doctors aged 25 years or less. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of practical training in venepuncture and cannula insertion, rather them theoretical instructions, within the MD course in order to improve the self-confidence of neograduates and as a result reduce the risk of sharps injuries. |
Published in: | |
| Journal | Malta Medical Journal |
| Volume | 18 Supplement |
| Page | |
| Date | 01/12/2006 |
| Link to journal | |
| Key words | cannula insertion, medical education, needlestick injury, undergraduate education, venepuncture |