Biosafety Measures Adopted by Nursing Undergraduates in Daily Activities in Spaces of Laboratory Practices

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the biosafety measures adopted by nursing undergraduates in daily activities in spaces of laboratory practices.Method: descriptive, qualitative analysis study performed at a Higher Education Institution in the period from April to June 2018, with 30 students. For the analyses of interviews, Collective Subject Discourse was utilized. Results: as for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) usage, 24% used gloves, followed by white coat and mask, with 19% and 18% each, respectively. Referring to moments of Hand Hygiene (HH) during the laboratory practices, 32% performed the hygiene before and 26% after the practice. It is observed that the scholars’ knowledge about biosafety is broad but limited to PPE usage. Conclusion: it is verified that the use of biosafety measures in this environment is still a challenge, for it be limited to PPE and HH usage.

Conhecimento dos estudantes de enfermagem sobre biossegurança no contexto hospitalar na pandemia: abordagem qualitativa

“…Among the participants, practical and theoretical knowledge was mentioned as an essential biosafety measure, and its deficit was associated with the high numbers of professionals infected by COVID-19. Such findings are in line with the data from a survey, in which students in supervised internships identified the need to delve deeper into the topic; in addition, the importance of implementing safety measures aimed at staff shortages due to illness and at encouraging constant training of professionals to minimize their chances of contamination is highlighted (17,18) . It is also inferred that Nursing students associate PPE with the COVID-19 pandemic, as an indispensable measure for a safe practice, although these measures were essential even before the pandemic context, provided for in laws, standards and protocols.…”

Conhecimento e adesão de estudantes de enfermagem às medidas de precaução-padrão

“…Por sua vez, estudo (24) apresenta semelhanças quanto ao uso de EPI nas práticas laboratoriais relatadas pelos estudantes, sendo luvas, jaleco e máscara os mais utilizados. Referente ao uso de óculos de proteção e gorro, o resultado foi contraditório, pois consistiram nos EPI menos utilizados, representando apenas 4% e 1%, respectivamente.…”