Nurses' perceptions of infection control issues in two small district general hospitals

The need for quality assurance is given considerable emphasis in the Strategy for Nursing (1). Quality assurance is arguably inseparable from effective infection control, the practice of which is dependent on an adequate knowledge of microbiology. Yet research suggests that infection control in hospitals could be significantly improved (2) and that much of the problem is due to inadequate knowledge of microbiology on the part of both tutors and nurses (3). This paper presents the results of a study aimed at eliciting both the value placed on, and the general awareness of, infection control by tutors and nurses in two small general hospitals in two health districts. Technical knowledge was not tested (except indirectly). The overall findings suggest that nurses rely almost exclusively on the knowledge gained through training to inform their infection control practice. This, together with the research quoted above, suggests that if infection control in hospitals is to be improved, nurse education must place a much greater emphasis on microbiology than is currently the case.