Assessment of nurses' knowledge about causes and associated factors of wound infection after cesarean section

Wound infection or surgical site infections (SSIs) are infections of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, or other soft tissues that occur within 30 days following surgery, Infections and complications following surgery are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and death, despite the vital role that surgery plays in modern medicine. World Health Organization (WHO) reported that, for various reasons, cesarean section is on the rise, even in economically developed nations.This study was carried out to show that to assess the knowledge of nurses about causes of post-cesarean wound infection and associated factors in a maternity and pediatric teaching hospital in Al-Samawah, Iraq. The study was descriptive study involving the use of questionnaire through face-to-face interview with the sample. Non-probability sample of 200 nurses who work in different departments in the hospital including (operation room,emergency room and surgical unit) participated in this study they were chosen using according to Yamane's Formula for Calculating Sample Size In addition to Cochran's formula . Data collection was carried out from October 15, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The questionnaire was composed of three parts, part one: include socio demographic data , part two consists of the questionnaire concerning with the causes of wound infection after CS, part three, involve the questionnaire concerning with the factors associated with wound infection after cesarean section. The results of the study shows (95.5%) of the participants had good knowledge about causes of wound infection after cesarean section also the result showed that there were statistically significant differences among the nurses' knowledge about causes of wound infection after cesarean section with educational level and years of experience, This means that the study found that nurses with higher levels of education or more years of experience tended to have a better understanding of the causes of wound infection after cesarean section than nurses with less eduction or less experience, In conclusion it is important for nurses to continuously update their knowledge. Also, ledge and skills through ongoing education and professional development, regardless of their level of education or years of experience. This can help bridgewith respect to gap between nurses with different levels. Education and experience and ensure that all nurses are providing the best possible care for their patients.