Effectiveness of Nursing Program in Preparing Nurses for the Care of Patients with Epsilon Gamma5

The emergence of the EG5 variant, a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant, has posed significant challenges, placing nurses at the forefront of managing the outbreak through bedside care, hospital unit management, and contact tracing. This study aimed to appraise the effectiveness of a nursing program in preparing nurses to care for patients with Epsilon Gamma5 (EG5). Setting and Design: Conducted at Mansoura Fever Hospital using a quasi-experimental design, the study involved 40 nurses recruited via convenience sampling. Data collection utilized three tools: a self-administered knowledge questionnaire, a practices observational checklist, and an attitudes scale. Results: Revealed that prior to the program, only 22.5% of nurses’ demonstrated good knowledge of EG5, increasing to 75% post-program. Similarly, satisfactory practice scores improved from 35% pre-program to 67.5% post-program. Attitudes also shifted positively, with positive attitudes increasing from 40% to 70% and negative attitudes dropping from 60% to 30% after the program. Conclusion: The findings underscore the nursing program's effectiveness in enhancing nurses’ knowledge, practices, and attitudes toward EG5 care. It is recommended to expand such training programs to include larger samples across multiple hospitals and regions to ensure better preparedness for emerging infectious diseases.