Abstract

Background: In today's medical practice, central venous catheters (CVCs) are extremely important, especially in intensive care units. This study aims to assess nurses' knowledge toward prevention of central venous catheter related infection.
Methods: At Mosul's Al-Salam Teaching Hospital, a descriptive research was conducted from December 23, 2022, to April 1, 2023. In order to include nurses in the study, the researchers used non-probability (purposive) sampling, choosing thirty nurses from the hospital.
Results: According to statistical findings, nurses' understanding of the conditions under which central venous catheters should be used was found to be at an acceptable level in 37.1% (13) of the sample. The percentage of nurses who did not know how important central venous catheters are was 62.9% (22). 51.4% (18) of the sample's nurses lacked awareness about the risks associated with usage. Of the group, 54.3% (19) had acceptable knowledge about preventing central venous catheter infections among nurses.
Conclusions: All demographic characteristics and the knowledge sections of nurses showed no significant link, with the exception of the relevance of central venous catheters and their indications for usage in relation to education level.
Recommendations: In addition to providing frequent training on CVC infection control, the hospital should ensure that its nursing staff is well-versed in CVC.