Infection control: a survey to determine knowledge of nurses in a clinical setting

This study set out to discover whether nurses with an understanding of the theoretical principles of microbiology know more about the clinical aspects of infection control than those without. Two vignettes were developed depicting typical situations. They were presented to 130 nurses in intensive care, surgical or medical units in two similar hospitals, one with updated guidance and one without. Results showed that most subjects would not perform optimally in the everyday situations depicted, nor would they have sufficient knowledge of microbiology to understand the theoretical principles underpinning infection control.