Compliance with standard precautions and associated factors among undergraduate nursing students at governmental universities of Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021

Abstract Background: Standard precautions are minimum infection control practices used to prevent the transmission of diseases and apply to all patient care. Nursing students are at high risk of exposure to occupational biologic hazards because they are obligated to provide care to patients admitted with unknown infection statuses. compliance with standard precautions is an effective and efficient means of infection prevention. However, their compliance with standard precautions among nursing students is not known in Ethiopia. therefore, this study aimed to assess compliance with standard precautions and associated factors among undergraduate BSc nursing students at governmental universities in the Amhara region, northwest Ethiopia, 2021.Methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate BSc nursing students at the governmental universities of Amhara region, northwest Ethiopia from April 15 to May 15, 2021. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 423 samples. Then data were entered into Epi-info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis and descriptive statistics were presented in text, tables, and charts. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was computed and P-value < 0.05 was considered to identify statistically significant factors.Result: The response rate of the study was 97.9 % (414). Good compliance of nursing students towards standard precautions was 56.3% with (95%CI =51.4 - 60.9), which is significantly associated with good knowledge (AOR =2.519, 95 % CI =1.609-3.943)), perceived safe workplace climate (AOR = 2.147, 95 % CI= 1.242-3.7121) and training or seminar related to standard precautions in the last six months (AOR = 1.518, 95 % CI= 1.008-2.288). Conclusion: The overall compliance of nursing students with standard precautions was low. The major factors associated with good compliance were good knowledge, a perceived safe workplace, and having seminars or training in the last six months. Training, enhancing knowledge, and creating a safe hospital environment are recommended to improve nursing students’ compliance with standard precautions.