1. Describing nurses' awareness of biological risk in delivering care for renal-dialysis patients: an Italian pilot survey.
- Author
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Magnaghi C, Caruso R, Brioni E, Apuzzo L, Galli M, Massari C, Del Pin M, Magon A, Vezzoli G, Villa G, and Manara D
- Subjects
- Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Italy epidemiology, Pilot Projects, Surveys and Questionnaires, Clinical Competence, Renal Dialysis
- Abstract
Background and Aim of Work: Despite national descriptions of awareness, knowledge, and perceptions about the exposure to the biological risk among nurses employed in renal-dialysis care are pivotal to increase work safety, there is a paucity of data on these descriptions in the Italian context. This study aimed at describing Italian nurses' awareness and knowledge about biological risk in delivering care for renal-dialysis patients, and their experiences of biological accidents., Methods: A pilot survey using cross-sectional data collection and convenience sampling procedure. 124 nurses were enrolled receiving a 7-item questionnaire: Questions 1, 2, and 7 were referred to the awareness about educational learning needs, questions 3 and 4 explored nurses' knowledge about biological risk, questions 5 and 6 collected accident-related information., Results: Overall, nurses' awareness and knowledge about biological risk appeared almost limited. Surprisingly, 52% of the enrolled nurses experienced a biological accident, and 29.5% reported to know colleagues who developed work-related disease after a biological accident. We found positive significant associations between awareness and knowledge., Conclusions: This pilot study highlighted the need to further describe Italian nurses' awareness and knowledge about biological risk in delivering care for renal-dialysis patients, as well as the need of up-to-date epidemiological description about biological accidents. Accordingly, future studies are highly recommended to provide robust evidence aimed at supporting policy makers, educators, clinicians, regulators, and managers.
- Published
- 2021
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