Knowledge and Compliance of Pediatric Nurses Related to Hospital Isolation Precaution and Symbols

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric patients who are treated in pediatric clinics are particularly at risk for hospital infections. It is needed to have a standardized policy for reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infection and to inform all professionals, especially nurses, about isolation practices and to evaluate the studies relation to isolation measures at regular intervals. This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge and compliance of nurses working in pediatric clinics related to hospital isolation precautions and symbols.
METHODS: The descriptive study was conducted among 220 pediatric nurses working at two children’s hospital in Ankara city center. Data was collected by using questionnaire form and Scale of Compliance with Isolation Precautions (SCIP). For data analysis; frequency, mean, percentage, Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U-tests were used and the statistical significance level was accepted as P <.05.
RESULTS: The majority of the pediatric nurses in the study received education relation to hospital infections by in-service education. Among precautions from hospital infections, contact isolation was known mostly. The meanings of the isolation symbols were almost unknown. More than one-fifth of nurses considered using of symbols which may be easy to memorize if it was possible to change. The mean score of SCIP was 78.34 ± 11.25 and compliance levels for the isolation precautions of the nurses were high. There was a statistically significant relationship between age, getting education about isolation methods, unit which is worked at and scale score ( p <.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Pediatric nurses’ training on hospital isolation methods, knowledge of isolation, and SCIP scores were high. The rate of knowing when the isolations disappear is not sufficient. The meanings of hospital isolation symbols were almost unknown. Education was effective on age and clinical SCIP scores. It may be recommended to repeat the trainings on the importance of isolation at certain intervals, to make arrangements for the isolation symbols or to focus more on the meanings of the symbols in the trainings, and to conduct research with a larger study group.