Nurse’s knowledge and practice towards prevention of infection for burn patients in burn center at Sana’a City, Yemen

Background: Infections are the most prevalent consequence following burn injuries, and they cause the patient greater pain and lengthen the hospital stay. Burn injuries are potentially fatal conditions, and burn patients require specialized care. This care should be provided by trained and skilled nurses who adhere to specified rules or protocols to limit the likelihood of infection and consequences. The aim of the study: Assess the nurse's knowledge and practice regarding infection prevention for burn patients in the Burn Center at Sanaa City, Yemen. Method: A descriptive-cross-sectional, which means that data were collected during October and November 2022. The self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information about the knowledge of nursing staff related to burn care. The observation checklist was used to assess the actual practices of nursing staff during patient care in the Burn Center in Sanaa City, Yemen. The sample size was 51 nursing staff members. Results: More than one-third (41 %) of participants were in the age group ≤25 years old, and more than two-thirds (72 %) of participants had ≤5 experience years. More than three-quarters (88.2 %) of participants had an inadequate level of knowledge and most (90.2 %) of them had unsatisfactory practice regarding the prevention of infection in burn patients. There is a significant association between the level of nurses' knowledge regarding the prevention of infection in burn patients and experience years (0.047). Conclusion: The findings of the current study revealed most of the participants had an inadequate level of knowledge and most of them had unsatisfactory practices regarding the prevention of infection in burn patients. Regular in-service training should be provided to update and refresh nursing practices related to caring for burn patients.