Nurses' knowledge regarding recommended practices on using surgical attire in operating theatre.

Abstract

To reduce the risk for surgical site infections, nurses in the operating theatre environment must have knowledge of and adhere to recommended practices regarding the use of surgical attire. To evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on nurses' knowledge related to recommended practices regarding the use of surgical attire in operating theatre. Operating theatres in two public and two private hospitals in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. An educational pilot study, using a quasi-experimental, two-group pre- and post-test design, was conducted. A convenience sample of n = 85 nurses was purposively allocated to a control group and an intervention group. An existing educational intervention consisting of an interactive training session, brochures based on the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses' (AORN) guidelines and a summary of these guidelines was implemented for the intervention group, while the control group received only the summary of the guidelines. Data were collected through self-administered pre- and post-test questionnaires from March 2019 to August 2019. The overall knowledge score for nurses in the intervention group post-intervention improved with a large significance (p ≤ 0.000 and Cohen's d = 1.26). The intervention has shown potential to improve the knowledge related to recommended practices of nurses in operating theatres regarding the use of surgical attire. This pilot study encourages the implementation of the intervention on the use of surgical attire but requires further development and a wider implementation to measure its impact, and access to resources, enhancing and sustaining its success.