Assessment of knowledge and practice of nursing students in the prevention of surgical site infection relation coping strategies

Objective: The aims of thise study is to determine and assessment the knowledge and practice of nursing students in the prevention of surgical site infection. Sample of this cross-sectional descriptive study included 217 nursing students from Kirkuk university and Alkitab university in Iraq. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between September - December at Kirkuk university and Al_Kitab National university. Nursing students are made up of these universities. The study sample consisted of 217 male and female students who agreed to participate in the study at the time of data collection. The Personal Information Form, Nurses' Knowledge Scale and Nurses Practice were used to collect data. Results: According to the findings, it was seen that the level of knowledge about the prevention of surgical site infection of the students studying at both universities was above the average (91.2%). At the same time, it is seen that the vast majority of students perceive their practice skills as sufficient (76%). When the demographic variables related to the applications are examined, it is seen that the application skills of the individuals in the 23-26 age group are perceived to be higher than the individuals aged 18-22 and 27-30 years. At the same time, women see themselves as more competent than men in terms of practice skills. While there is a differentiation in the level of knowledge of the students according to the university of education, there is no difference in perception of the level of practice. In the study, no difference was found in terms of SSI knowledge level and practices according to the grade level, marital status and time they studied. When analyzed according to income level, it is seen that students who are not satisfied with their income level perceive their SSI knowledge level more than students who are satisfied. However, the same difference was not found to be significant in terms of perception of application competencies. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the knowledge and practices of nursing students about the prevention of surgical site infection are generally good.