Background: The occurrence of needle stick and sharps injuries (NSSIs) in healthcare settings remains a global concern. Nursing students are at a high risk of being exposed to NSSIs, mainly due to their lack of clinical skills and experience. Objective: The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of NSSIs, and associated risk factors among nursing students.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 among 142 nursing students from two hospitals in Gauteng province, South Africa. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Chi-square tests and binary univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine associations between NSSIs and various factors. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Sixty-one (43.0%) of the study participants had experienced an NSSI. The majority reported that they had received training on injections and handling of needles (n = 117, 82.4%), but nearly half of these trained students experienced NSSIs (n = 53, 45.3%). Instruments most prone to causing NSSIs were needles (n = 48, 75.0%), medication vials (n = 10, 15.6%), and surgical equipment (n = 5, 7.8%). The procedure most commonly implicated in NSSIs was the administration of injections (n = 19, 29.2%). Most of the NSSIs occurred in the surgical (n = 17, 25.8%), medical (n = 14, 21.2%), and maternity (n = 13, 19.7%) wards. Most were superficial (n = 44, 72.1%) and 47.5% (n = 29) of the exposed participants received post-exposure prophylaxis. Study participants who worked for 40 and more than 40 hours per week were 2.59 (95% CI 1.07–6.29, p = 0.036) and 4.52 (95% CI 1.59–12.93, p = 0.005) times more likely to have an NSSI than those who worked less than 40 hours per week, respectively.
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of NSSIs among the nursing students in this study. Needles, medication vials, and injection procedures contributed to NSSIs. Working for 40 or more hours a week was associated with experiencing an NSSI. Current training procedures for administering injections and handling needles may be ineffective in preventing NSSIs, necessitating re-evaluation of training programmes.

Background: Psychological resilience has been described as a means of facilitating adaptation in stressful environments. Little is known about the factors that predict psychological resilience of healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Objectives: The aim of this review was to identify factors associated with the psychological resilience of healthcare workers (excluding nurses) practising in LMIC settings, using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC).
Methods: A narrative literature search was conducted, using four public databases to investigate determinants of psychological resilience among healthcare workers in LMICs using the CD-RISC. Studies considering only nurses or nursing students were excluded.
Results: The review included 22 journal papers, published from 2013 to 2023. The factors associated with resilience amongst healthcare workers in LMIC settings were categorised as personal, social, and lifestyle; work-related and organisational support; and policy level factors.
Conclusion: Research on psychological resilience for non-nursing healthcare workers operating in LMICs is limited and contradictory in some instances, and has been conducted mainly in China. Further evidence-based research is needed in LMICs to better characterise factors associated with psychological resilience of healthcare workers to enable improved support of this important occupational group

Purpose: Work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) refer to soft tissue disorders or injuries of the tendons, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and vasculature of the upper limb caused by, or contributed to, by occupational exposures or injuries. This can result in significant functional incapacity of workers and suboptimal functionality in the workplace. Work-related upper limb disorders can incur substantial financial burdens through absenteeism, and work replacement, medical, and compensation costs. The suboptimal management of WRULDs can worsen the health and financial burdens they create. This case study highlights the consequences of the suboptimal management of de Quervain’s tenosynovitis (DQT) in a healthcare worker (HCW). It illustrates that timeous management through a graduated return-to-work programme, using a multidisciplinary team, yields better outcomes for the worker and workplace.
Findings: A 42-year-old HCW employed as a hospital steriliser operator was diagnosed with DQT. She experienced ongoing right-hand pain despite initial conservative treatment with local anaesthetic and steroid injections, followed by the surgical release of the affected tendons. She had resumed normal work duties five days after the surgery, with no clear post-operative management plan. In particular, there was no referral to allied health professionals for assistance with rehabilitation and no referral to occupational health professionals to manage the return-to-work process. Workplace risk factors were not assessed or addressed.
Conclusions: The HCW was successfully re-integrated into the workforce with full functionality, following the introduction of a graduated return-to-work process, rehabilitative support from allied health professionals, and after addressing workplace risk factors.
Recommendations: The case highlights the importance of avoiding small, repetitive hand movements that trigger symptoms of DQT; surgical intervention to provide symptomatic relief where conservative and medical management of DQT has failed; conducting health risk assessments; making the correct diagnosis and referring promptly and appropriately; engaging allied health professionals to assist with treatment and rehabilitation, and occupational health professionals to implement graduated return-to-work programmes; submitting compensation claims; educating and training employees about workplace ergonomic factors; and implementing workplace control measures and medical surveillance programmes to mitigate risk and improve health outcomes.