Knowledge about health care-associated infections and their prevention in students of a higher education institution in Cuenca
Abstract
The study focused on the problem of health care associated infections (HAI), a persistent challenge in public health that compromises the quality of care and patient safety. In view of this, the main objective of the research was to evaluate the level of knowledge about HAIs and their prevention among students in their last semester of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a Higher Education Institution in the Austro region. Using a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional methodology, a validated questionnaire was administered to a census sample of 80 students, collecting data from 76 participants. The main finding of the study indicated that, although 72.36% of the students demonstrated an acceptable general understanding of HCAI, only 47.36% had a solid basic knowledge of HCAI, and only 55.26% passed the hand hygiene section. These results suggest deficiencies in critical areas of knowledge that are fundamental to effective HCAI prevention in healthcare settings. The conclusion of the study highlights the need to strengthen the teaching of HCAI fundamentals and hand hygiene practices in the training of healthcare professionals. It underlines the importance of reviewing and adapting educational curricula to improve theoretical and practical training in these key areas.
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