An Investigation of Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Disinfection Procedures in Italy
2011

Nurses' Knowledge and Practices on Disinfection in Italy

Sample size: 527 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Sessa Alessandra, Di Giuseppe Gabriella, Albano Luciana, Angelillo Italo F

Primary Institution: Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy

Hypothesis

What is the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding disinfection procedures among nurses in Italian hospitals?

Conclusion

Nurses in Italy have a poor understanding of the most common healthcare-associated infections and need better training on disinfection procedures.

Supporting Evidence

  • Only 29% of nurses knew that urinary and respiratory tract infections are the most common HAIs.
  • Nurses with higher education levels were more likely to know about common HAIs.
  • Attitudes towards disinfection guidelines had a mean score of 9.1 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Takeaway

This study found that many nurses in Italy don't know enough about how to prevent infections and need more training to do their jobs safely.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study using face-to-face interviews to assess nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding disinfection.

Potential Biases

Potential bias from self-reporting and the inability to directly observe actual behaviors.

Limitations

The study's cross-sectional design limits the ability to determine cause-and-effect relationships, and self-reported data may introduce bias.

Participant Demographics

Majority female (57.9%), mean age 44 years, mean years in practice 18, over half worked in surgical wards (53.3%).

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.009

Confidence Interval

1.18-3.19

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2334-11-148

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