Observation of Infection Prevention and Control Practices among Medical College Students

The study had to assess the IPC practices among students attending medical collegein India. A sample of 103 medical college students from the 3rd and 4th years participated inthe survey. According to the results, 87.3% students know about infection, and 56% of thisinformation had been obtained from college. However, 76.7% had knowledge about infectionprevention with a gap in their understanding. Infection control practice knowledge was at avery high level at 85.3%. All the students realized that hand hygiene is crucial and that thereis total acceptance of wearing gowns when doing surgical procedures. With PPE, 54.7%were familiar, and almost half did not know, but there was an awareness that patients arealso potential sources of infection (88.7%). A total of 88.7% of students reported using glovesduring patient contact when exposed to blood or infectious secretions. Still, only 46.7% of thestudents claimed to have ever witnessed transmission-based precautions applied in the careof a patient. The researchers found that though medical students understand many of the IPCprinciples well, certain aspects must be highlighted during training and curriculadevelopment.