Journal of

  Introduction: As a key member of the healthcare workforce, nurses play an important role in patient care. N ursing care performance, especially sterilization, is of significant importance in provision of health and prevention of complications such as hospital infections. This study aimed to investigate nurses’ performance concerning sterilization while performing nursing techniques in ICU wards of educational hospitals affiliated to Birjand University of Medical Sciences.

  Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, 36 nurses working in the ICU ward were selected by census method. A researcher-made observational checklist with three choices for each item was designed to check the sterilization techniques used by nurses in terms of obtaining intravenous (IV) access (10 items), suctioning of the endotracheal tube (7 items), and dressing (8 items).For each technique, a total score of≥75% was considered as good, between 50-75% as moderate, and <50% as poor performance. Content validity was used to confirm the validity of the checklist, and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated 0.67 to confirm its reliability. Data were analyzed in SPSS (version 16) using independent t-test at the significant level of P<0.05.

  Results: Mean score in the suction technique (out of 21) was 15.3±0.88 for which 8.3% of participants had good and 91.7% had moderate performance. As for the dressing technique, the mean score (out of 24) was 18.1±0.68 for which 46.4% of participants had good and 53.6% had moderate performance. Mean score in the obtaining IV access (out of 30) was 18.64±1.03 for which 100% of participants had moderate performance. No poor technical performance was observed, nor was there a Significant differences between the participants’ demographics and their performance.

  Conclusions: Nurses’ performance concerning sterilization techniques used in the ICU wards was moderate. Considering the results, periodic re-education programs are suggested to improve nurses’ performance.