Taiwanese nursing students’ knowledge, application and confidence with standard and additional precautions in infection control

Aim.  This study reports on nursing students’ current capacity to handle standard and additional infection‐control precautions in terms of their knowledge, application skills and confidence. Background.  These precautions are recommended as the guidelines for preventing infections and ensuring occupational safety. As nursing students undertake patient care during clinical practice, their knowledge of and ability to apply these precautions with confidence should be examined before they enter the clinical field. Method.  A specific tool, the Infection Control Evaluation, was developed and distributed. Design.  A cross‐sectional survey involving a sample of preservice nursing students was conducted in southern Taiwan. Results.  The results were based on an 88% response rate and indicated that the level of knowledge concerning standard and additional precautions was low among Taiwanese nursing students. Their ability in applying these precautions in clinical practice also appeared to be inadequate. Conclusions.  Such findings indicate that Taiwanese preservice nursing students require a comprehensive foundation course in infection‐control precautions before they enter the clinical environment. This will help to ensure their protection and that of their patients. Relevance to clinical practice.  As the findings highlight the importance of providing such education for students before they undertake any clinical work, the information provided here can help nursing educators and academics to develop a specific program.