[Viral Infections Among the Nursing Personnel - a Survey]

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Healthcare workers (HCW) face risks of occupational infections and patient disease transmission.
• Knowledge and risk awareness among HCW are vital for adopting safety measures.
• Needlestick injuries (NSI) are a significant concern in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nursing staff's knowledge and risk awareness of occupational infections and vaccinations.
• To determine the frequency of needlestick injuries (NSI) in relation to educational background.
• To identify gaps in training for managing highly contagious or rare infectious diseases.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to nursing staff at a nursing conference.
• Data collected focused on knowledge, risk perception, training adequacy, and NSI frequency.
• Analysis considered the relationship between educational level and NSI occurrence.

Main Results:

• Nursing staff demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding the actual hazards of viral occupational infections.
• Over 60% of respondents perceived a "pretty high" to "very high" probability of contracting occupational infections.
• 62.1% of participants felt inadequately trained to manage patients with highly contagious or rare infectious diseases.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for intensified training and awareness programs for nursing personnel.
• Improving knowledge of occupational infections is essential for enhancing healthcare worker safety.
• Addressing training deficits will improve patient care and reduce infection transmission risks.