Needlestick injuries (NSI) or sharp instrument injuries are a common work-related injury suffered by healthcare professionals. A needlestick injury is an injury with any break in the skin caused by a sharp instrument which has previously been exposed to patient tissue or bodily fluid [1].

The global yearly proportion of healthcare workers who suffer a needlestick injury is 45% [2]. Less experienced healthcare staff have the greatest NSI risk [3]. Of healthcare workers, surgeons have the highest yearly needlestick incidence [3]. For all of these reasons, surgical trainees are particularly at-risk of needlestick injuries.

While surgical trainees commonly suffer needlestick injuries, previous studies have shown they are often underreported [4,5]. In one 2019 study, 29% of NSIs suffered by surgical residents went unreported. In a majority of cases, the surgical attending was aware the NSI went unreported [5]. Various individual factors can mean surgical trainees are less likely to report needlestick injuries than other healthcare professionals [6]. Less experienced doctors are less likely to report NSIs [5]. Some trainees may underestimate the relative risk of bloodborne infection transmission, leading to less reporting [7]. No data on NSI and surgical trainees in Ireland has been published to-date.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of needlestick injuries suffered by surgical trainees in Ireland. Furthermore, we aimed to establish the reporting behaviours of NSI and to ascertain potential barriers to reporting of these injuries. Our hypothesis was that needlestick injuries were common in Irish surgical trainees but underreported.