Effect of Online Instruction on the Level of Knowledge About Clostridium difficile Infection Among Undergraduate Nursing Students in a Developing Country

Background: Clostridium difficile infection is a life-threatening hospital-acquired infection worldwide. Nursing students need to be able to identify patients who have a high chance of contracting C. difficile infection. The study objective is to determine the level of knowledge on C. difficile infection before and after online instruction in undergraduate nursing students. Methods: A group pretest-posttest design was implemented to measure the effectiveness of an online instructional program, in which 170 nursing students participated in this study. The level of knowledge was assessed by the percentage of correct answers in the following subsections: (a) basic knowledge; (b) risk factors; (c) modes of transmission; and (d) infection control measures, by using a questionnaire that contained 20 true/false statements. Results: Overall, the nurses in this study had a low level of knowledge about C. difficile pre-online instruction and a significant increase in knowledge regarding C. difficile infection in all sections after online instruction. Conclusions: Online instruction should be integrated into the undergraduate nursing curriculum in developing countries. Self-directed instruction is an effective approach for nursing students to teach them infectious diseases in developing countries.