Nursing students' knowledge about ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention guidelines: Effectiveness of a teaching program.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an educational course that aimed to expand student nurses' knowledge about the guidelines for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention. In the pretest, the students revealed poor knowledge (mean score ± SD, 6.3 ± 2.8 out of 20). After completion of the educational program, participants in the experimental group showed a significant improvement (t = 14.9, P < .001). The control group showed no significant improvement. More focus on VAP prevention guidelines is essential in nursing curricula.