title: Compliance of nursing students with infection prevention precautions: effectiveness of a teaching program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Jordan's nursing schools, infection prevention precautions are not taught in special courses. Instead, most nursing schools include the topic as a 1-hour lecture within the clinical courses, which is believed to be insufficient. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a nursing infection prevention educational program presented to nursing students before graduation, to promote their knowledge of infection prevention precautions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A true experimental design was used to examine the effects of the infection prevention educational program on students' educational knowledge. This study involved a random assignment of subjects to experimental and control groups, and administration of the pretest and the posttest to all subjects in both groups separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants in the experimental group demonstrated significantly better knowledge (t = 19.15; df = 95; P = .000) and attitude scores (t = 2.29; df = 46; P = .04) than participants in the control group after particpating in the infection prevention educational program. However, compliance scores were not significantly differernt between the 2 groups (t = 1.92; df = 95; P = .067); indeed, compliance was found to be significant within the experimental group (t = 10.65; df = 46; P = .000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important that nursing students be competent in infection prevention precautions; however, there may be deficits in their education in this area. The nursing curriculum should include additional emphasis on practice as a means to help translate theory into clinical behavior.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. m.alhussami@ju.edu.jo
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Hussami
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Darawad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D011361:Professional Competence; D011897:Random Allocation; D013338:Students, Nursing; D055815:Young Adult