Impact of Educational and Training Programs on Knowledge of Healthcare Students Regarding Nosocomial Infections, Standard Precautions and Hand Hygiene: A Study at Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nosocomial infections are significant public health problems in developed as well as developing countries. To tackle this problem, it is vital to sensitize healthcare students (HCSs) at early period of their clinical practise. Thus, this study was conducted to access the existing knowledge among HCSs and determine the impact of educational and training programs regarding nosocomial infections, standard precautions, and hand hygiene. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional cum interventional, questionnaire based, single center study. Total 728 MBBS, BDS and BSC nursing students were targeted for workshop on nosocomial infections, standard precautions, and hand hygiene based on the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Infection control standardized questionnaire (ICSQ) was administered as a pretest and posttest. Results were analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: A paired-samples t-test was conducted to access the impact of educational and training programs on knowledge of HCS. There was a significant difference in the scores of pretests (M = 37.30, SD = 4.81) and posttests (M = 42.03, SD = 4.55); t (727) = 22.162, p ≤0.005 and also statistically significant difference in scores of all 3 domains- 1. Nosocomial infections: Pretest (M = 6.61, SD = 1.57) and Posttest (M = 7.98, SD = 4.65); t (727) = 20.589, p ≤ 0.005; 2. Standard Precautions: Pretest (M = 20.81, SD = 3.06) and Posttest (M = 41.88, SD = 4.30); t (727) = 4.584, p ≤ 0.005; 3. Hand Hygiene: Pretest (M = 9.88, SD = 2.68) and Posttest (M = 12.54, SD = 2.92); t (727) = 19.527, p ≤ 0.005. The results suggest that educational and training programs have positive impact on knowledge of HCS. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the need for regular educational and training programs in primary training time for retention of knowledge regarding nosocomial infections and reinforcement of the principals of standard precautions and hand hygiene. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Goyal M, Chaudhry D. Impact of Educational and Training Programs on Knowledge of Healthcare Students Regarding Nosocomial Infections, Standard Precautions and Hand Hygiene: A Study at Tertiary Care Hospital. Indian J Crit Care Med 2019;23(2):227–231.