Knowledge of standard precautions for preventing tuberculosis and HIV among student nurses in Eswatini University

Abstract

Standard precautions are a set of measures put in place for reducing the risk of transmitting infections such as Tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the healthcare setting. Many studies from other countries have shown different levels of knowledge regarding standard precautions among student nurses. Lack of knowledge of standard precautions may lead to non-compliance which may later lead to the spread of hospital acquired infections. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge of student nurses regarding standard precautions for prevention of TB and HIV. A non-experimental quantitative approach was used to conduct a survey on senior student nurses of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) using questionnaires. Among the 105 student nurses who completed the questionnaire, 91% were found to have adequate knowledge on standard precautions. Only 51.9% of the students had received training on TB prevention procedures in the demonstration laboratory while only 63.8% said they received it on HIV. Regardless of their good knowledge, 22.9% of the respondents have been accidentally exposed to blood and body fluids of patients as they practiced in the past 12 months. Therefore, the researchers recommend that standard precautionary measures on TB and HIV prevention skills be continuously demonstrated to all student nurses in the skills laboratory and in the clinical area.