Occupational exposure to needlestick injuries and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among medicine and dentistry students

Needlestick injuries (NSIs) pose significant occupational hazards for
healthcare workers and students, increasing the risk of hepatitis B virus
(HBV) transmission. Medicine and dentistry students are particularly
vulnerable due to limited clinical experience. This study assessed the
prevalence of NSIs and the correlation with HBV vaccination coverage among
medicine and dentistry students in Ghana. This was a cross-sectional study
conducted among 264 clinical-year (Years 4 - 6) medicine and dentistry
students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from
February to March 2023. Data on NSIs, HBV vaccination status, and
associated factors were collected by means of questionnaire administration
and analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 26.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0. All
statistical results obtained were considered significant at p <
0.05. The prevalence of NSIs was 27.7%, with a higher prevalence among
dentistry students. HBV vaccination coverage (≥1 dose) was 83.0%, however,
only 50.7% of these vaccinated participants had completed their
vaccination (≥3 doses). About 17% had never received a single dose, with
over half (51.1%) stating “no specific reason” for non-vaccination. Higher
levels of study (p = 0.033) and extended clinical exposure (P = 0.040)
were associated with an increased risk of NSIs. Advancing age (p = 0.005),
level of study (p < 0.001), and program of study (p = 0.045) were
significantly associated with vaccination status among the study
participants. The high prevalence of NSIs alongside suboptimal
HBV vaccination coverage highlights a critical gap in infection control.
Medical and dental schools should implement mandatory HBV vaccination and
enhance training on universal precautions to mitigate NSI risks.