Priority Analysis of Needs for COVID-19 Infection Control Education for Nurses at a Medium-Sized Hospital

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the educational needs and analyze the priorities of infection control education content related to COVID-19 among nurses at a medium-sized hospital.Methods: In total, 110 nurses at a general hospital in G metropolitan city participated in the survey. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from February 14 to 21, 2022. The priorities of COVID-19 infection control education content were identified using a three-step analysis method, including the paired t-test, Borich priority formula, and the Locus for Focus model.Results: Seven content items with high educational needs were identified using the Locus for Focus model and the Borich priority formula. These included “use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when conducting a COVID-19 test”, “criteria and methods for ventilation of the test space”, “method of disinfecting the test space”, “facility management”, “isolated patient management”, “how to transfer patients within medical institutions”, and “how to transfer patients to other medical institutions”. These content items, as educational needs, should be considered as priorities among the 31 content items of COVID-19 infection control education.Conclusion: The results are significant in that this study investigated the educational needs for responding to and preparing for COVID-19 in nurses, who are directly engaged in conducting COVID-19 infection control activities at a small and medium-sized hospital. Furthermore, a priority analysis of needs for COVID-19 infection control education content was performed to realistically reflect the educational needs. These findings can be used for the development of infection control education programs for nurses.