Experiences and attitudes of clinical and academic nurses about Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Nursing Curriculum and Duties - A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Abstract Background The widespread emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and their psychological, social, economic, and social effects are evident at the national and international levels, especially in recent years. Special nurses could be effective to prevent and control such infections phenomenon. In Iran, there is no special IPC nurse who is responsible for controlling infections. This research explores clinical and academic nurses’ attitudes about Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Nursing Curriculum and Duties. Methods Qualitative research design was adopted with content analysis based on the data of a comparative study of a master of infection prevention and control curricula in different countries in 2022 in X. Thirty-six participants including clinical and academic nurses through a purposive sampling were recruited. Data was gathered via in-depth seven semi-structured discussions of the focused groups. The accuracy and validity of the research tools were measured by Four-Dimension Criteria (FDC) developed by Lincoln and Guba. Results A total of 628 codes, 30 subcategories and 4 categories were extracted from the quotes. The categories obtained were: "Necessity and importance of creating a specialized field", " Expected capabilities and skills", “General characteristics of the curriculum " and "Course evaluation". Conclusion Specialist nurses of IPC can play their roles in various positions and environments. Therefore, the establishment of IPC nursing courses should be taken into account by educational policymakers in Iran. It is also suggested that other policymakers and decision makers in the nursing field of other less developed countries should put this issue on their agenda.