Knowledge and Practice of Wound Care and Associated Factors among Nurses Working in South Wollo Zone Government Hospitals, Ethiopia

Background: Wound infection is caused by pathogenic organisms invading viable tissue surrounding a localized defect or excavation in the skin or underlying soft tissue. Nurses have a critical role in wound care and dressing selection, and they should strive to stay current in this ever-changing field. To prevent wound infection, it is essential to improve wound-care knowledge and practice.
Objective: To assess knowledge and practice of wound care and associated factors among nurses working in government hospitals of South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia.
Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was used among 422 randomly selected nurses in government hospitals in South Wollo. A pretested structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were entered in EpiData 4.4.2 and exported to SPSS 25.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied. Variables with P value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant for knowledge and good practice of wound care.
Results: According to the findings, 40.3% and 51.0% had good knowledge and practice of wound care, respectively. Holding a bachelor’s degree or above (AOR 3.27, 95% CI 1.97– 5.43) and training (AOR 3.71, 95% CI 2.37– 5.81) were significantly associated with knowledge of wound care. More than 10 years of experience (AOR 3.15, 95% CI 1.96– 5.04), training (AOR 3.75, 95% CI, 2.38– 5.85), and not having a patient load (AOR 3.15, 95% CI 1.96– 5.04) were significantly associated with wound-care practices.
Conclusion: Nurses’ wound-care knowledge and practice were low. Knowledge and practice on wound care were determined by education, training, patient load, and experience. Nurses should get training and share experience.