An evaluation of knowledge and practices of nursing students on nosocomial infection

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate nursing students' level of knowledge about nosocomical infection and to determine what factors influenced their knowledge. Materials and Methods: The sample of this descriptive and cross sectional study was composed of a total of 208 sophomore, junior, and senior year nursing students enrolled in a foundation university, who gave permission to participate in the study between the dates of 18/02/2019 and 01/03/2019. Data were compiled through the "Student Information Form" and "Nursing Students' Knowledge on Nosocomical Infection Form". Results: The mean age of the participants was 21,78 ± 2,211, with 40,4% studying their junior year. The percentage of participants who were employed whilst studying was 20,7%. Of the study participants, 72,1% stated that they had received training in nosocomical infection, with 60,1% having received it during their formal training, and 90,4% indicated that they needed training in nosocomical infection, with the greatest proportion of them (76,9%) noting that they needed training in precautions against modes of transmission. The item that received the greatest number of true marks was "Nosocomial infections constitute one of the most crucial indicators of the quality of care in a hospital", while the item with the highest number of false marks was "Intravenous catetherizations need to be replaced every 48-72 hours at the latest". The mean score for the Knowledge form was 26,62 ± 2,728 (min.12-max 33). Conclusions: The knowledge score of the student nurses on nosocomial infection was found to be above average. Keywords: Nosocomial infection, isolation measures, training, nursing student.