KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE ABOUT SAFE INJECTION PRACTICES AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

According to WHO, a safe injection is one which is prepared with clean hands in a clean area, medication drawn from a sterile administered with a sterile needle and syringe, which are discarded after use in a puncture proof container for appropriate disposal. Safe injection practices are intended to prevent transmission of infectious diseases between one patient and another, or between a patient and health care personnel during preparation and injection of medications. Thiscross-sectional study was conducted during May-June 2021 among interns and questionnaire with 25 questions regarding the awareness of safe injection practices were used to assess the levels of awareness. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel sheet. Analysis is done using SPSS software. Data was analysed using percentages. Result shows all 72 interns filled out the questionnaire. Out of the 72 interns, 56 (77.8%) had good knowledge and 16 (22.2%) had poor knowledge about safe injection practices. 54 (75%) students had good attitude and 18(25%) had poor attitude safe injection practices. 50(69.4%) had good practice in administering safe injection whereas 22 students (30.6%) had poor practice. The present study shows that 77.8% has good knowledge, 75% has good attitude and 69.4% has good practice in safe injections among the Interns. The present study also shows that the practices of safe injection are less than that of knowledge and attitude towards it. So, there is a need for proper practical training in safe injection practices.