Awareness, Knowledge, and Practices Regarding Occupational Hazards Among Medical Students

Health status and ergonomics education: A comparison between student nurses and first-year nursing staff

AIMS

To (a) compare student nurses' health status and levels of ergonomics knowledge and awareness to those of first-year nursing staff and (b) investigate the association between nurses' ergonomic compliance and health status with their educational preparedness.

DESIGN

This cohort study compared ergonomics awareness and knowledge, and health status of nurses when they were students and after their first-year working in medical facilities.

METHODS

In total, 133 4th-year student nurses completed a survey; 45 of them completed a second survey after working 1 year in a medical facility. Their health status was compared over time using repeated-measures ANOVA. Correlation tests were used to analyse associations between ergonomics knowledge and awareness, health status, demographic variables and educational preparedness.

RESULTS

Respondents in both surveys displayed weak knowledge of ergonomic principles significantly associated with increased pain intensity and educational preparedness.

PATIENT CONTRIBUTION

Ergonomics training should be expanded during nursing studies and first-year training to prevent long-term health disorders.

HIV-prevention measures on a university campus in South Africa - perceptions, practices and needs of undergraduate medical students

Background: Young adults such as university students are considered to be a key population for HIV-prevention efforts. This study aimed to determine the perceptions, practices and needs of undergraduate medical students regarding HIV-prevention measures available on campus. Methods: The research design was descriptive cross-sectional. Data were collected using an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire distributed to all 745 undergraduate medical students in the School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Free State, South Africa, of whom 470 responded (63.1%). Results: Almost half (45.5%) of all respondents across the five academic years had received information about available HIV-prevention measures on campus. Most reported that information had been received during lectures (59.7%) and only 24.2% from the local health clinic on campus. The findings also revealed that 14.2% of students had used at least one prevention measure in the past, while the majority of students (70.2%) used abstinence as an HIV-prevention measure. A large percentage of all the students (47.6%) had been tested for HIV before the start of the study. Two-thirds (67%) of students indicated that the current HIV-prevention services on campus were not sufficient. Conclusion: Medical students received HIV-prevention information as part of their curriculum but this was deemed not to be sufficient. This study suggests that tertiary education institutions should evaluate the effectiveness of strategies currently in place for the distribution and awareness of HIV-prevention measures and sexual health issues affecting students, using a student-centred approach.