Investigation of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of nursing, midwifery, and surgical technology students regarding standard precautions and self-protection in the clinical setting

Background: Due to the nature of their academic field and clinical training, students of nursing, midwifery, and surgical technology are exposed to the risk of damages due to sharp instruments, blood, and body fluids. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of students of nursing, midwifery, and surgical technology about standard precautions and self-protection in the clinical settings. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Nursing and Midwifery School of Kashan University of Medical Sciences, 2018. A total of 300 students were selected through nonprobability quota sampling. A four-part questionnaire was used to collect the data on the students' characteristics, and their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the special safety percussions. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and SPSS software version 16. Results: No significant connection was found between the students' knowledge, attitudes, and practice and their demographic characteristics. Most students had a moderate level of knowledge about self-protection in the clinical setting. None of the students had good knowledge and compliance with safety principles. A significant correlation was found between knowledge and attitudes (P = 0.01, r = 0.14) and between attitudes and practice (P = 0.00, r = 0.29). No significant correlation was found between the students' knowledge and practice (P = 0.52, r = 0.037). Conclusions: Acquisition of a moderate level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice indicates that the students were familiar with the concepts examined; nonetheless, this level may not suffice for appropriate and safe practice in the clinical setting.