title: Brief report: needlestick injury and inadequate post-exposure practice in medical students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical students are at a particularly high risk for needlestick injury and its consequences because of their relative inexperience and lack of disability insurance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the risk of needlestick injury and the use of post-exposure prophylaxis among medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Internet-based survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 2003 graduating medical school class at the University of Toronto.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of needlestick injuries, circumstances surrounding those incidents, and post-exposure actions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 88% (157/178). Over one third (55/157) of respondents suffered at least 1 needlestick injury. In more than half the high-risk injuries, the students continued working and did not seek medical advice. Six students who suffered a needlestick injury began prophylactic human immunodeficiency virus medications. Of those students who suffered an injury, 15% had purchased disability insurance prior to the incident.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor use of post-exposure procedures and a lack of disability insurance leave medical students at high risk for career and life-altering consequences from a needlestick injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cervini
authors.forename: Chaim
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D018868:Insurance, Disability / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data