Factors predicting the intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases

Objectives This study was conducted to identify the factors predicting the intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases and to develop a plan for educating nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases. Methods In this study, 147 third- and fourth-year nursing students attending the College of Nursing participated from October to November 2023, and data were collected through an online platform. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical regression analysis using the IBM SPSS 25.0 program. Results As a result of the study, The intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases was 1.41 points, behavioral belief was 0.95 points, control belief was -0.35 points, attitude toward behavior was 1.72 points, and perceived behavioral control was 0.79 points. The perception of emerging infectious diseases was 3.66 points, and the ethical consciousness of emerging infectious diseases was 4.29 points, and there was no significant difference in the intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases according to the characteristics of the subjects. The significant predictors of the intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases were attitude toward behavior (β=.449, p<.001), perceived behavioral control (β=.382, p<.001), and ethical consciousness of emerging infectious diseases (β=.154, p=.024), and the explanatory power was 61.3%. Conclusions To improve the intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases in a positive direction, interventions should be developed to strengthen attitudes and perceived behavioral control towards caring for patients with emerging infectious diseases, and also include content to improve ethical consciousness of emerging infectious diseases. This can contribute to improving the intention of nursing students to care for patients with emerging infectious diseases.