Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Anthropology
Major Professor
Nancy Romero-Daza, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Stephanie L. Marhefka-Day, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Tara F. Deubel, Ph.D.
Keywords
discrimination, nursing education, occupational health, social identity threat, phenomenology, health care workers
Abstract
Health-care providers (HCPs) are vulnerable to occupational health hazards, including dirty needle-stick injuries (DNSIs), which increase the risk for infection with HIV and other blood-borne pathogens. This study examines the perceptions of nurses and nurse practitioners who work in various health care settings regarding HIV-risk and DNSIs, in order to ascertain how these perceptions inform their decision-making regarding their health and nursing practice. I utilize a phenomenological approach to analyze the lived reality and embodiment of the DNSI experience by HCPs. The study explores the personal and institutional level factors that may influence the timely reporting and treatment of DNSIs, including perceived stigma, lack of institutional support, and discrimination. The results will inform the development of a protocol that emphasizes prevention of DNSIs and improves post-exposure reporting and treatment.
Scholar Commons Citation
Moore, Bethany Sharon, "Nurses and Needlesticks: Perceptions of Stigma and HIV Risk" (2020). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/8260
