UM-GCMH PhD student Xiong Peng get’s first authored paper published in American Journal of Infection Control – Congrats, Xiong Peng!

Background: Standard precautions (SPs) are considered fundamental protective measures to manage healthcare associated infections and to reduce occupational health hazards. This study is to assess the effectiveness of a mixed media education intervention to enhance nursing students’ knowledge, attitude and compliance with SPs. Method: A randomized controlled trial with eighty-four nursing students was conducted in a teaching hospital in Hubei, China. The intervention group (n = 42) had the three bi-weekly mixed media education sessions, consisting of lectures, videos, role-play, and feedback with 15-20 minutes of individual online supervision and feedback sessions following each class. The control group learned the same material through self-directed readings. Pre- and post-test assessments of knowledge, attitudes and compliance were assessed with Knowledge with Standard Precautions Questionnaire (KSPQ), Attitude with Standard Precautions Scale (ASPS) and Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (CSPS), respectively. Standard Bacterial Colony Index assessed hand-washing effectiveness. Results: At six-week follow-up, performance in KSPQ, ASPS, and CSPS were significantly improved in the intervention group compared with the control group (P < 0.01). The hand hygiene standard in the intervention group (38 passed) outperformed the control group (23 passed) (P < 0.01). Conclusions: A mixed media education intervention is effective in improving knowledge, attitude and compliance with SPs.