Nursing Students’ Knowledge Among Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Systematic Review

Vincenza Giordano, Chiara Palazzo, Caterina Mercuri (), Vittoria Verde, Teresa Rea, Patrizia Doldo and Assunta Guillari
Additional contact information
Vincenza Giordano: Department of Public Health, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Chiara Palazzo: Pediatric Oncology, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, 80122 Naples, Italy
Caterina Mercuri: Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Vittoria Verde: University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Teresa Rea: Department of Public Health, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Patrizia Doldo: Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Assunta Guillari: Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Clinical Research Center DEMeTra, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Background: Healthcare-associated infections represent a significant public health problem, with a major impact on patient safety and quality of care. Nursing students play a central role in implementing infection prevention and control measures, yet the existing literature highlights gaps in their preparedness. Objective: To investigate nursing students’ knowledge of healthcare-associated infections, providing a comprehensive understanding of their level of awareness and identifying potential gaps that could guide improvements in nursing education. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, APA PsycArticles, and APA PsycInfo, using predefined keywords and inclusion criteria. Twenty-two studies met the eligibility requirements. The articles were assessed for methodological quality using validated appraisal tools. Results: Across the included studies, nursing students demonstrated good knowledge of certain infection prevention measures, particularly standard precautions and hand hygiene. However, significant theoretical gaps were identified, especially regarding epidemiology, transmission mechanisms, and risk factors for healthcare-associated infections. Knowledge tended to improve with academic progression, clinical experience, and the use of active, contextualized teaching strategies. A consistent gap between theoretical understanding and practical application was observed. Conclusions: Nursing curricula should systematically integrate theory and practice, ensure alignment with validated international guidelines, and adopt active, practice-oriented teaching approaches. Strengthening these areas could improve nursing students’ infection prevention competencies, thereby enhancing patient safety and quality of care.

Keywords: healthcare-associated infections; nursing students; knowledge; competence; perception; infection prevention and control; standard precautions; hand hygiene (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/11/1609/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/11/1609/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:11:p:1609-:d:1777266

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().