Knowledge and Compliance with Standard Precautions for Nosocomial Infection Prevention among Undergraduate Nursing and Midwifery Students at a Ghanaian University.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major patient safety challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices persist. Nursing and midwifery students are particularly vulnerable during clinical training, yet evidence on their IPC knowledge and compliance in Ghana remains limited. Objective: To assess knowledge of nosocomial infections and compliance with standard precautions among third-year nursing and midwifery students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 third-year nursing and midwifery students at KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana, between 28 June and 9 July 2021. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from WHO and CDC guidelines. Knowledge was assessed using a 19-item scale and compliance using a 17-item Likert-type scale. Chi-square tests, Fisher's exact test, and Spearman's rank correlation were used to examine associations between knowledge and compliance. Results: Overall, 143 respondents (95.3%) demonstrated high knowledge of nosocomial infections and standard precautions (mean score: 16.44/19; SD: 1.59). High compliance with standard precautions was reported by 112 respondents (74.7%; mean score: 59.13/68; SD: 5.89). Compliance was strongest for hand hygiene and glove use but lower for PPE use during splash-risk procedures and safe needle-handling practices. No statistically significant association was found between categorized knowledge and compliance levels (df = 1, p = 0.491; Fisher's exact p = 0.679). However, a modest positive correlation was observed between continuous knowledge and compliance scores (Spearman's rho = 0.326, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Although knowledge of nosocomial infections was high, compliance varied across standard precaution domains, with notable gaps in PPE use and safe needle-handling practices. Practical training, simulation-based learning, and supervised clinical reinforcement are needed to bridge the knowledge practice gap in nursing and midwifery education in Ghana.