An Agreement Among Nurse Educators on Infection Prevention and Control Practices to Ensure Safe Clinical Training...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Public Health

Background:

• Standardized precautions form the basis of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in nursing education.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to revise existing IPC practices for clinical training.
• Ensuring a safe clinical environment for nursing students requires updated IPC guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nurse educators' agreement on essential IPC precautionary guidelines for nursing students' clinical training.
• To establish consensus among nurse educators on IPC practices that enhance safety during clinical training.
• To identify specific IPC items for both trainers and students to ensure effective and safe clinical experiences.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, explorative, cross-sectional study involving 243 Jordanian and Omani nurse educators.
• A questionnaire developed based on literature and WHO recommendations for COVID-19 training practices.
• Validated questionnaire with face and content validity, comprising 26 items for trainers and 20 for students.

Main Results:

• Participants showed agreement on all questionnaire items, rating them above the midpoint.
• All proposed IPC practices for trainers (26 items) and students (20 items) were supported.
• Consensus was reached on practices related to protecting self, protecting others, and essential training needs.

Conclusions:

• New IPC practices are crucial for improving nursing students' safety and skills during clinical training.
• Implementing enhanced IPC measures helps protect students and patients, minimizing cross-infections.
• The study underscores the importance of updating IPC guidelines to foster a secure learning environment in clinical settings.