Understanding registered nurse' knowledge and confidence in adhering to Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines in a mixed care setting in Ireland during the COVID-19 global pandemic

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first identified in the Wuhan province of China in December 2019. It is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, and then declared SARS-CoV-2 virus as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, due to its alarming spread, causing serious illness, death, and social disruption around the world. The emergence of variants which were more infectious posed significant challenges for healthcare sectors, to thwart its transmission globally in this emerging crisis. To date, there are several publications related to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there is limited data describing nurses' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate and explore nurse’s knowledge and confidence in adhering to rapidly evolving infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional retrospective quantitative design was used including a survey of 96 registered nurses. The results indicate that nurses were indeed knowledgeable and confident in adhering to the rapidly changing IPC guidelines in the context of COVID-19, however there was limited use of nurses sourcing IPC/COVID-19 information from evidence- based sources as part of nurses’ everyday practice. Planning, and implementing healthcare work practices in line with evidenced based IPC protocols is most important to ensure a safe delivery of patient care and protect healthcare workers providing this care. This study plays an important role in exploring potential gaps and identifies opportunities to improve clinical practice. The findings have implications for reinforcing IPC work stratagems which challenge work practices during a pandemic. For future pandemic preparedness, evidence-based sources should be promoted and utilised as part of nurses’ everyday clinical practice.