Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on the Management of <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study

<i>Clostridioides difficile</i> is, worldwide, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection. Outbreaks are largely related to antibiotic exposure and contact contamination, but little is known about <i>C. difficle</i> infection (CDI) awareness in the nurse population. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dania Comparcini, Valentina Simonetti, Francesco Vladimiro Segala, Francesco Di Gennaro, Davide Fiore Bavaro, Maria Antonietta Pompeo, Annalisa Saracino, Giancarlo Cicolini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-03-01
Series:Antibiotics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/3/529
Description
Summary:<i>Clostridioides difficile</i> is, worldwide, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection. Outbreaks are largely related to antibiotic exposure and contact contamination, but little is known about <i>C. difficle</i> infection (CDI) awareness in the nurse population. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to study Italian nurses, based on CDI guidelines. We recruited 200 nurses working in 14 Italian hospitals. Using a one-way analysis of variance of knowledge scores, female nurses (mean 9.67 (standard deviation ± 1.63), <i>p</i> = 0.03), and nurses with a higher level of university education (mean 9.79 (SD ± 1.67), <i>p</i> = 0.04) were demonstrated to have better knowledge about CDI. In addition, 92.5% (n = 184) of the sample declared that they did not have specific postgraduate training about CDI. Seventy-four percent (n = 149) of the respondents declared that they used procedures, protocols and guidelines about CDI in their workplace, but only 46.5% (n = 93) reported using <i>C. difficile</i>-specific bundles during their daily practice. In conclusion, our study highlights a lack of knowledge concerning CDI clinical guidelines among Italian nurses.
ISSN:2079-6382