Despite being knowledgeable, NICU nurses in our study demonstrated suboptimal practices of HAI prevention guidelines. This knowledge-practice gap highlights the importance of reinforcing infection prevention through ongoing education, supportive institutional measures, and regular monitoring. Such efforts may help strengthen adherence to safe infection prevention practices and enhance the quality of neonatal care. Future studies with larger and more diverse samples are recommended to validate these findings and explore contextual factors influencing practice.
Kasem et al. (2026) studied this question.