Effect of an evidence-based educational program on nurses' knowledge and practice toward surgical site infection prevention: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a major cause of postoperative morbidity and increased healthcare costs worldwide. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are essential for effective prevention; however, nurses' adherence is influenced by their knowledge, attitudes, and institutional training support.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an evidence-based educational program on nurses' knowledge and practice regarding SSI prevention.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with experimental and control groups was used. The study included 120 nurses (60 per group) working in surgical units at a university hospital. Data were collected between December 2023 and April 2024 using a Personal Information Form and Nurses' Knowledge and Practice Evaluation Forms. The educational program was developed based on international EBP guidelines for SSI prevention.

RESULTS

At baseline, both groups showed comparable knowledge and practice scores (p > .05). Following the intervention, improvements were observed in the experimental group in knowledge (t = 21.280, p < .05) and practice (t = 22.939, p < .05) scores, while no significant changes were observed in the control group. The between-group difference showed a very large effect size (Cohen's d = 4.57).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the evidence-based educational program was associated with improvements in nurses' knowledge and self-reported practices regarding SSI prevention. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the quasi-experimental design and measurement limitations.