[Nurses in leading positions and measures to prevent occupational exposure: facilities and barriers].

This descriptive study aimed to assess the facilities and barriers that nurses in leading positions endure with respect to the nursing team's compliance to measures for preventing occupational exposure involving biological materials, based on Rosenstock's Health Belief Model. The study was carried out with 87 nurses of a university hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the year of 2006. Data were collected through a semistructured form with open and closed questions and analyzed through Content Analysis.

Accidents with biological material and immunization against hepatitis B among students from the health area.

Undergraduate students from the health area often handle piercing-cutting instruments in their academic activities, which exposes them to the risk of contracting infections. This study aimed to analyze accidents with biological material among these students. Out of 170 accidents registered, 83 (48.

[Profile of undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards mental disease, before the influence of specific academic education].

Students starting the Nursing Course bring with them stereotypes and prejudice in relation to mentally-ill people, thus showing lack of knowledge as to their possibilities of recovery and social living. This study aimed at elaborating a profile of the attitudes presented by these students in relation to such people and at showing aspects that can negatively influence their future professional conduct. To that end, the opinion scale for mental disease was used.

[Authoritarianism and benevolence towards mental illness: study with beginning a nursing program].

Students beginning a nursing program tend to show negative attitudes towards mental health patientsm as does the general population. This study aimed at studying these students' authoritarianism and benevolence towards mental patients utilizing the opinion scale about the mental illness. The results indicated that the students showed authoritarianism towards mental patients with a tendency to protective behavior, which enabled the conclusion that these aspects must be considered in the elaboration of the course programs in this area in order to lead them to more therapeutic conducts in the future.