Knowledge, risk perception and attitude towards needlestick injury prevention practice amongst healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital

Needlestick injuries (NSI) pose a significant occupational hazard to healthcare workers as it exposes them to serious bloodborne infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Despite existing preventive guidelines, NSI occurrences still persist. This may be due to gaps in several factors influencing the adaptation of safe practice in handling needle-related procedures. This study aimed to examine the significant influence of knowledge, risk perception and attitude towards NSI prevention practices amongst healthcare workers in a Malaysian healthcare setting. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured, self-administered questionnaire comprising four main constructs: knowledge, risk perception, attitude and NSI prevention practice. Data was collected from 250 respondents through a simple random sampling method. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS to determine the relationship and significant influence of each variable. The findings revealed that knowledge, risk perception and attitude all have a positive correlation with NSI prevention practice. Multiple regression analysis has also shown that attitude has the strongest influence for NSI prevention practice, followed by knowledge and risk perception. In conclusion, this study highlights the factors that influence NSI prevention practice and reinforces the importance of promoting a positive attitude, enhancing risk perception and strengthening knowledge to improve NSI prevention practices amongst healthcare workers. The findings of this study can become a foundation for targeted interventions and educational programs to reduce the incidence of needlestick injuries.