SAGE Open Nurs. 2026 Mar 14;12:23779608261435041. doi: 10.1177/23779608261435041. eCollection 2026 Jan-Dec.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) remain a significant cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in pediatric care, particularly in low-resource and conflict-affected settings such as Palestine. Pediatric nurses play a critical role in infection prevention and control (IPC); however, deficiencies in knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP), and perceived institutional support may undermine effective HAI prevention.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured educational workshop in improving pediatric nurses’ KAP, and perceptions of institutional support related to HAI prevention.
METHODS: A one-group pre-post quasi-experimental design was conducted in 2024 at a specialized pediatric hospital in Palestine. A total of 54 pediatric nurses participated in a two-week educational workshop comprising four interactive sessions focused on core IPC principles. Data were collected using a validated self-administered questionnaire assessing KAP and perceived institutional support. Paired-sample t tests were performed to compare pre- and postintervention scores.
RESULTS: Statistically significant improvements were observed across all outcome domains following the intervention (p ≤ .001). Mean knowledge scores increased from 52.9 ± 3.3 to 61.9 ± 4.1, attitude scores from 44.1 ± 4.1 to 52.6 ± 3.4, and practice scores from 42.1 ± 5.7 to 53.3 ± 3.1. The proportion of nurses reporting good perceived institutional support increased from 40.7% pre-intervention to 98.1% postintervention.
CONCLUSION: The structured, context-specific educational workshop significantly improved pediatric nurses’ IPC-related competencies and perceptions of institutional support. Integrating continuous professional education with organizational engagement is essential for strengthening HAI prevention in pediatric settings within resource-constrained healthcare systems.
PMID:41884808 | PMC:PMC13009566 | DOI:10.1177/23779608261435041
