Do nursing students know and practise the Universal Precautions to prevent transmission of infectious agents?

BACKGROUND Nursing students, like other healthcare students, are at high risk of occupational exposure to blood and bodily fluids. Studies have shown that use of the Universal Precautions (UPs) lowers this risk, but do students know and practise these precautions? OBJECTIVES This study investigated the knowledge and practice of undergraduate nursing students regarding the UPs, and whether there was a correlation between knowledge of the UPs and their practice. METHOD This was a descriptive quantitative study amongst undergraduate nursing students in years 2–4 (n=253), who were selected by means of stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was administered to the participants by the researcher. The data collected were analysed through use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16.0) and content analysis. RESULTS It was established that there was indeed a lack of knowledge regarding the UPs, and that the students’ self-reported practice of the UPs was poor. There was no statistically significant correlation between knowledge and practice of the UPs. CONCLUSION More structured educational programmes are needed to improve both knowledge and practice of the UPs. These programmes should be offered across all nursing student study years as continuous professional development.