KNOWLEDGE AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES OF HOSPITAL ACQUIRED INFECTION AMONG NURSING STUDENTS OF BENSON IDAHOSA UNIVERSITY, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE

Abstract

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are infections patients acquire during the course of receiving treatments for other conditions within a healthcare setting and are not present or incubating at the time of admission. It remains a major public health concern globally and significantly impact the quality of healthcare delivery, patient safety, and overall health outcomes. This study assessed the knowledge and preventive practices of hospital-acquired infections among nursing students of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed, and a structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 233 nursing students selected through a convenient sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of IBM SPSS version 24. Findings revealed that the majority of the respondents 88.44% demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge of hospital-acquired infections; A mean score ranging from 56.25 to 78.88 indicated an overall good level of application of preventive measures such as hand hygiene (use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols with the mean score ranging from 56.25 to 78.88. Factors influencing preventive practices included inadequate supply of protective materials, limited supervision during clinical practice, and lack of regular infection control training. The study established a significant relationship between knowledge level and preventive practice (p < 0.05). It concludes that nursing students possess considerable theoretical understanding of HAIs, and good practical compliance with preventive measures for hospital-acquired infections. The study recommends continuous IPC education, adequate provision of resources, and strengthened supervision to enhance infection prevention competence among nursing students. Keywords: Hospital-acquired infections, Knowledge, Preventive practices, Nursing students, Infection prevention and control.

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urn:uuid:259f5521-1ff8-41e2-84da-daf04b94bfbe