Incidence of accidents with piercing cutting material among medical undergraduate students

Background: When students perform practical activities they are exposed to accidents with biological material, evidenced by higher susceptibility related to their learning condition, limited dexterity and initiative in this period of development of abilities. 

Objective: to determine the incidence of occupational accidents with piercing cutting material among undergraduate students from the medical program and estimate their vaccination status in relation to hepatitis B.

Methods: A descriptive and quantitative study was carried out with students from the tenth period of the medical program of a Public University in Minas Gerais. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied followed by descriptive analysis and computation of incidence.

Results: 50.6% of participants were female and 80.5% were between 22 and 26 years old, 66.1 reported to have received biosafety information although only 8.6% considered it satisfactory. When analyzing knowledge in relation to biosafety information we verified that 72.9% of the students reported to perform hand hygiene before and after procedures; 90.8% discarded piercing cutting material in specific dispensing container with rigid walls; 88.5% disposed gloves after each procedure and 44.2% reported to recap needles. The incidence of accidents with biological material was 36.2% while 63.5% involved piercing cutting material and 36.5% contact with ocular mucosa. The majority of students (81.1%) informed to be using equipment of individual protection at the moment of the accident; 60.3% of the accidents occurred during surgical procedure; and only 41.2% of students sought medical care. In relation to the hepatitis B vaccine, 87.1% reported to have received three doses of it. It was possible to infer that their knowledge about biosafety is fragmented, since theoretical answers are coherent but incompatible with behavior. The most frequent accidents are those with piercing cutting material and probably due to the preserved habit of recapping needles.

Conclusions: Based on these results, we intend to encourage training of students so they do not recap needles and consequently reduce accidents, and sensitize them regarding the importance of seeking for medical care and improved vaccination coverage.

Table 1: Distribution of accidents with exposure to biological material and hepatitis B vaccine coverage among medical undergraduate students

	n	%
Accident with piercing cutting material during supervised training
No	101	61.5
Yes	63	36.2
Did not answer	10	2.3
Vehicle of transmission
Body fluids	24	37.5
Piercing cutting material	40	62.5
Number of accidents
One	40	62.5
Two	10	15.6
Several	4	6.3
Did not answer	10	15.6
Medical evaluation
Yes	26	40.6
No	31	48.4
Did not answer	7	11.0
Hepatitis B vaccine
Yes	157	90.2
No	1	0.6
Did not answer	16	9.2
Doses of hepatitis B vaccine
None	1	0.6
One dose	2	1.2
Two doses	12	6.8
Three doses	143	82.2
Did not answer	16	9.2
Anti-HBS exam
Yes	74	42.5
No	84	48.2
Did not answer	16	9.3