Abstract:

The competence of nursing and midwifery students in the use of personal protective equipment is very important both during their clinical training and in terms of preventing contamination that may occur in the future work environment. The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge level of health sciences students about personal protective equipment. The universe of the study consisted of the students studying in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades of the nursing and midwifery department of a university between May-December 2020 (N=637). The sample of the study consisted of 382 students (60.1%) who voluntarily participated in the study and completed the forms completely. The data were collected through the “Personal Protective Equipment Information Form”. The participants 73.6% are in the nursing department and 26.4% are in the midwifery department. In terms of personal protective equipment was determined 52.6% of students felt competent, 67.5% knew the channel to learn up to date information, 36.1% wore personal protective equipment correctly and 22.8% took off correctly. 54.7% of the students gave correct answers to the questions asked to determine their level of knowledge. This research has revealed that the knowledge level of health sciences students about personal protective equipment is at a moderate level. For this reason, it is recommended to eliminate the lack of knowledge of the faculty of health sciences students with regular training on the use of personal protective equipment and basic infection control practices.

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