[Hospital medical students: a population at risk for accidental exposure to blood].

Objective: Infections transmitted by blood such as viral hepatitis B and C or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are a true threat to health care workers. As medical students are exposed to accidental contamination during their hospital activities, we conducted a survey among medical students in Nice France to determine the frequency and circumstances of needle prick accidents and how the risk of blood exposure is managed.

Methods: A survey was conducted between December 1 and December 15, 1996 among second cycle medical students.