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                <front>
                    <journal-meta>
                        <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Int. J. Clin. Med. Res.</journal-id>
                        <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">LQP-IJCMR</journal-id>
                        <journal-title-group>
                            <journal-title>International Journal of Clinical and Medical Research</journal-title>
                        </journal-title-group>
                        <issn pub-type="ppub">3134-8831</issn>
                        <publisher>
                            <publisher-name>International Journal of Clinical and Medical Research</publisher-name>
                        </publisher>
                    </journal-meta>
                    <article-meta>
                        <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.66590/ijcmr2025020203</article-id>
                        <article-id pub-id-type="other">ijcmr2025020203</article-id>
                        <article-id pub-id-type="manuscript">35-LQP-IJCMR</article-id>
                        <article-categories>
                            <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
                            <subject>Research Paper</subject>
                            </subj-group>
                        </article-categories>
                        <title-group>
                            <article-title>Assessment of Healthcare Providers’ Knowledge on Needle Stick Injuries in Primary Care Centers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Erbil</article-title>
                        </title-group>
                        <contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" >
                                <name>
                                    <surname>Musa</surname>
                                    <given-names>Yassir </given-names>
                                </name>
                                <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">1</xref></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
                                <name>
                                    <surname>Hegazy</surname>
                                    <given-names>Ahmed M. S.</given-names>
                                </name>
                                <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">2</xref><xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor2">*</xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
                                    <label>1</label>
                                    <institution></institution>
                                    <addr-line></addr-line>
                                </aff><aff id="aff2">
                                    <label>2</label>
                                    <institution></institution>
                                    <addr-line></addr-line>
                                </aff>
                        <author-notes>
                            <corresp id="cor1">
                              <label>*</label>Corresponding author: Ahmed M. S. (e-mail: <email>ahmed0562301954@yahoo.com</email>)
                            </corresp>
                        </author-notes>
                        <pub-date pub-type="epub">
                            <day>30</day>
                            <month>12</month>
                            <year>2025</year>
                        </pub-date>
                        <pub-date pub-type="received">
                            <day>18</day>
                            <month>06</month>
                            <year>2025</year>
                        </pub-date>
                        <pub-date pub-type="accepted">
                            <day>21</day>
                            <month>11</month>
                            <year>2025</year>
                        </pub-date>
                        <volume>2</volume>
                        <issue>2</issue>
                        <fpage>26</fpage>
                        <lpage>29</lpage>
                        <permissions>
                            <copyright-statement>©2026 the Author(s)</copyright-statement>
                            <copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
                            <copyright-holder>The Author(s)</copyright-holder>
                            <license license-type="open-access">
                            <ali:license_ref>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ali:license_ref>
                            <license-p>This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License</license-p>
                            </license>
                        </permissions>
                        <abstract><p>Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge regarding needle stick injuries among healthcare providers. Setting and Duration: The research was carried out in 25 primary healthcare centers located in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, over a period from March 2020 to August 2022. Methodology:&amp;nbsp;A total of 687 healthcare providers, including nurses, physicians and paramedical staff, were enrolled in the study. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire consisting of five items, specifically designed to evaluate knowledge related to needle stick injuries and their preventive measures. Results: Out of all participants, 402 (58.5%) were female and 285 (41.5%) were male. Nurses represented 41.5% of the total sample, while 39.9% of participants held diploma-level qualifications. Although more than half of the respondents had over ten years of professional experience, a significant majority 656 participants (96%) exhibited inadequate knowledge regarding needle stick injuries. Only 10.8% had previously received formal training on the subject. Additionally, 76.4% of participants showed limited awareness about the importance of hepatitis B vaccination as a preventive strategy. Conclusion: The study highlights a considerable deficiency in knowledge and preventive practices related to needle stick injuries among healthcare providers. There is a critical need for the implementation of standardized training programs and strengthening of occupational safety protocols to enhance awareness and minimize risks in healthcare environments.</p></abstract>
                        <kwd-group><kwd>Needle Stick Injuries</kwd><kwd>Healthcare Worker Knowledge</kwd><kwd>Occupational Exposure</kwd><kwd>Infection Prevention</kwd><kwd>Hepatitis B Vaccination</kwd><kwd>Cross-Sectional Survey</kwd><kwd>Primary Healthcare</kwd><kwd>Erbil</kwd></kwd-group>
                    </article-meta>
                </front>
            </article>