Nurses’ infection prevention and control observations, compliance with standard precautions, and associated factors: A cross-sectional study

Background Nurses’ infection prevention and control (IPC) practices influence infection transmission, and their observations of others’ practices may be associated with their own compliance with standard precautions. This study aimed to describe nurses’ IPC observations and standard precautions compliance, examine their relationship, and identify associated characteristics. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study included 335 nurses from four clinical departments of a city hospital (November 2025–March 2026). Data were collected using the Nurses’ Infection Prevention and Control Observation Questionnaire (NIPCOQ; higher scores indicate more frequent observation of poor practices) and the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (CSPS-T) and analyzed using non-parametric tests and multiple linear regression with robust standard errors. Results Mean NIPCOQ and CSPS-T scores were 27.56 ± 9.89 and 14.16 ± 3.40, respectively, and were moderately and inversely correlated ( ρ = −0.323, P < .001). Working in intensive care (vs surgery; B = −3.30, 95% CI −6.49 to −0.58) was associated with less frequent, and 6–10 years of experience (vs 0–5; B = 3.21, 95% CI 0.28 to 6.31) with more frequent, observation of poor practices. High school and associate degree graduates reported higher compliance than bachelor’s degree holders. Each model explained about 5% of the variance. Discussion Nurses who less frequently observed poor IPC practices reported better compliance, although the direction of this association cannot be determined. Individual characteristics explained little variation; organizational factors such as workload, staffing, and safety culture should be examined in multicenter studies.