title: Incidence and characteristics of needlestick injuries among medical trainees at a community teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This field study aimed to determine the incidence and distribution of needlestick injuries among medical trainees at a community teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed during the 2013-2015 academic years at Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH), a University of Toronto-affiliated community-teaching hospital during the 2013-2015 academic years. Eight-hundred and forty trainees, including medical students, residents, and post-graduate fellows, were identified and invited via email to participate in an anonymous online fluidsurveys.com survey of 16 qualitative and quantitative questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three-hundred and fifty trainees responded (42% response rate). Eighty-eight (25%) respondents reported experiencing at least one injury at TEGH. In total, our survey identified 195 total injuries. Surgical trainees were significantly more likely to incur injuries than non-surgical trainees (IRR = 3.03, 95% CI 1.80-5.10). Orthopaedic surgery trainees had the highest risk of a needlestick injury, being over 12 times more likely to be injured than emergency medicine trainees (IRR = 12.4, 95% CI 2.11-72.32). Only 28 of the 88 most recent needlestick injuries were reported to occupational health. Trainees reported a perception of insignificant risk, lack of resources and support for reporting, and injury stigmatization as reasons for not reporting needlestick injuries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Needlestick injuries were a common underreported risk to medical trainees at TEGH. Future research should investigate strategies to reduce injury and improve reporting among the high-risk and reporting-averse trainees.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Lucy Dx
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mount
authors.forename: Alainna J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Jamal
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simone
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Rw Melissa
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Tai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires