Knowledge and performance of the universal precautions by nursing and medical students in Korea

Background: Like the health care workers, nursing and medical students have to go through clinical practices; accordingly, they run a high risk of being exposed to bloodborne diseases. But there are few studies on the realities of preventive education or measures to be taken after exposure to such diseases. The purpose of this study was to identify a knowledge of universal precautions and their performance in practice among the nursing and medical students in Korea. Method: This study was based on survey questionnaires with a total of 714 nursing and medical students for the period between November 2, 1998, and April 30, 2000. Results: The average knowledge level of the universal precautions was 267.8 +/- 21.3 (scores ranged from 150 to 300). The knowledge level of the universal precautions of the nursing students (270.4 +/- 19.4) was higher than that of the medical students (261.0 +/- 24.4; P = .000). The average performance level of the universal precautions was 52.7 +/- 6.2 (scores ranged from 14 to 70). The students of the nursing college showed a higher performance level of the universal precautions (53.2 +/- 5.9; P = .002). The correlation between knowledge and performance of the universal precautions showed a weak and positive correlation (r = .317; P = .000). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the knowledge level of the nursing students about universal precautions was relatively higher than that of medical students. The group that receives education about universal precautions has a higher level of knowledge and performance of the universal precautions than that group that receives no such education. The education about universal precautions is indispensable; it is desirable to raise the relative importance for the curriculum of both nursing and medical colleges.