Nursing Student Affiliates' Level of Compliance with the Key Components of Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention and Control in a Selected Hospital: Basis for Proposed Guidelines for Curriculum Enrichment

The study focused on the level of compliance with the key components of standard precaution for infection prevention and control among nursing student affiliates in a selected Department of Health (DOH) hospital that serve patients with infectious and communicable diseases. The respondents of the study were 252 Nursing student affiliates of which 186 (73.81%) were female, 163 (64.68%) were third year while only 89 (35.32%) were fourth year students. Their age ranged from 16 to 20 years old. They came from 20 nursing schools located within and outside Metro Manila. The other group of respondents were the respective clinical instructors who supervised the students in the clinical areas in the selected hospital. The study utilized the descriptive comparative and correlational methods of research. Purposive sampling was used to select the respondents. A researcher-made questionnaire was utilized which was validated by experts and tested for reliability. The study revealed that in dealing with the level of compliance of nursing students with the key components of standard precautions for infection prevention and control as assessed by themselves the compliance in using “Safe Injection Practices/Preventing Needle Stick Injury” got the highest weighted mean of 3.77 (Always), followed by Using Masks with 3.74 (Always), Using Gloves with 3.73 (Always), Proper Hand Hygiene with 3.63 (Always), Using Caps and Boots/Shoe Covers with 3.43 (Always), and Using Gowns and Plastic Aprons with 3.37 (Always). In terms of other transmission-based precautions, the self-assessment among nursing students in their compliance to infection prevention and control in terms of other transmission-based precautions had a weighted mean of 3.63 or “Always.” In particular, the following were the weighted mean: contact precaution had 3.6 (Always), droplet precaution had 3.6 (Always), and airborne precaution had 3.69 (Always). However, as assessed by their Clinical Instructors