Effect of focused nursing training on infection control measures on nurses' practice for patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

BACKGROUND

Nursing care for patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) is a crucial step in reducing complications and promoting recovery. Infection control procedures are vital tools for preventing most complications. Proper nursing education and training for managing these patients can provide sufficient protection against urinary tract infections and related issues, such as secondary hemorrhage and hospital readmission.

AIM: To evaluate nurses' performance after receiving nursing instructions regarding the infection control measures for patients with PNL.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental research design (pretest-posttest) was employed. The study was conducted at Assiut University Urology Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt. The participant nurses worked in units providing healthcare for patients who underwent PNL and received focused nursing instructions on infection control measures. The tools used included a structured questionnaire assessing their knowledge of PNL healthcare and a nurses' practice observation checklist. The researchers completed these tools before and after the nurses received focused education on infection control measures. The focused education was provided through an illustrated booklet. The local ethics committee approved this study.

RESULTS

This study comprised 30 nurses, including 19 females (63.3%). Of these, 46.7% were in the 20-25 age group, 90% had a high educational level, and 50% had less than 5 years of work experience. Significant differences were observed between pre- and post-test scores in overall performance (P = 0.001), total preoperative scores (P = 0.001), immediate postoperative scores (P = 0.006), infection control measures (P = 0.001), and respiratory hygiene practices (P = 0.001). In the pretest, 16.7% of the nurses demonstrated adequate practice levels of infection control measures for patients undergoing PNL, compared to 100% in the posttest (P = 0.001). No significant relationships were found between nurses' practice levels and their demographic variables (P > 0.050).

CONCLUSION

The nurses' performance improved significantly after receiving focused nursing instructions on infection control measures for patients with PNL. Nurses should participate in ongoing training programs on infection control procedures.