Assessing the Impact of an Instructional Module on Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices for Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India

Background Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Nurses in critical care units play a central role in infection prevention, but gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) often compromise patient safety. Educational interventions provide a feasible strategy to strengthen infection control competencies. Aim This study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured instructional module in improving nurses' KAP regarding HAI prevention in tertiary care hospitals of Gautam Budh Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Materials and methods A quasi-experimental pre-post design was conducted among 60 nurses recruited purposively from medical, surgical, neonatal/paediatric, and trauma ICUs across five tertiary care hospitals. Sample size was determined a priori using OpenEpi (Version 3.01), which indicated a minimum of 54 participants; 60 were enrolled to ensure robustness. Data were collected using a structured KAP questionnaire, validated by experts and pilot-tested for clarity and feasibility. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), applying paired t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results The instructional module significantly improved nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (p < 0.05), with moderate to large effect sizes observed. Gains were consistent across most domains, with some associations noted between outcomes and ICU type. The pilot testing confirmed tool feasibility and clarity. Conclusion A single, structured educational module effectively enhanced nurses' HAI prevention competencies. Regular, context-specific training and integration into nursing curricula are essential to sustain improvements and reduce the HAI burden in high-demand healthcare settings.