[Nursing and the prevention of biological risks: from education to professional activity]

To discover the training nursing students receive regarding prevention and control of infection inside hospital settings and the means of self-protection as well as making people aware of the need to improve this training if deemed necessary.

This is a transversal descriptive study which took place in the nursing schools in Spain. Data was gathered by means of a questionnaire each respondent filled in by themselves. The lack of a response was also studied. A followup meeting was held with those who participated in this study to seek consensus in the search for solutions to those necessary changes detected.

86% responded to the questionnaire. During the course of career preparation, these were the average number of hours dedicated to various areas of study: 34.5 to Biological Statistics, 40 to Epidemiology, 28 to Infectious Diseases, 29 to Microbiology, 9 to Infection Control, 11 to Concepts of Aspesis and Antisepsis, and 36 to Methods of Research and Investigation. More than 50% of the professors teaching these classes are licensed nurses. Student followup during their clinical practice was carried out basically by nurses in university hospitals. 39% of nursing schools teach the concept and content for universal precautions prior to clinical practice. In the majority of public nursing schools, the followup of a student after a biological accident is carried out by the preventive medicine service, whereas this is done by the school insurance company in private nursing schools. Therefore, significant differences exist.

The theoretical knowledge taught is adequate; the number of hours dedicated to each subject varies among the schools; it is necessary to come to an agreement on the minimum levels of training required before engaging in clinical practice in a safe manner. Universal precautions should be taught in all schools before clinical practice occurs.