Background
Little is known about nursing students' experiences of infection control in the clinical
setting despite its importance protecting patients and reducing risks of occupational
exposure.
Methods
We conducted an online survey involving a fixed choice Likert-type scale with 19 items
and an open question to solicit more detailed information with a national sample of
student nurses in the United Kingdom.
Results
Four hundred eighty-eight student nurses completed questionnaires. All participants
reported lack of compliance for every item on the Likert scale, most frequently from
community settings and long-term care facilities for older people. Incidents most
commonly witnessed were failure to comply with hand hygiene protocols, failure to
comply with isolation precautions, poor standards of cleaning in the patient environment,
not changing personal protective clothing between patients, and poor management of
sharp instruments. Qualified nurses did not provide good role models. Medical staff
were the occupational group most heavily criticized for poor compliance.
Conclusion
Students demonstrated sound understanding of infection control and were able to identify
lack of compliance on the basis of preclinical classroom instruction. The study findings
indicate that ensuring safe infection control practice remains a challenge in the
United Kingdom despite its high priority.
Key Words
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Article Info
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
