Background: This study was conducted to identify the educational needs of infection control nurses (ICNs) in long-term care hospitals and to develop educational programs that reflect their needs.
Methods: This was a descriptive survey. The participants were 104 ICNs in long-term care hospitals. Data were collected between June and August 2019. A paired t-test was used to compare differences between the importance and knowledge of infection control. Educational needs were analyzed by applying the Borich needs assessment model.
Results: The contents of infection control education were judged important for all 43 items with scores of 8.5 or higher. The level of educational needs was followed by microbiology, ICNs’ role and function, and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria management, when the Borich formula of the Borich needs assessment model was applied. When applying the locus for focus model, there were high educational needs for isolation precautions, environmental management of isolation rooms, use of personal protective equipment, infection control of healthcare-associated pathogens, management of antibacterial-resistant bacteria, and tuberculosis infection control.
Conclusion: Based on this study, developing and operating education programs that are suitable for the characteristics of nursing hospitals will help increase the infection control capabilities of long-term care hospital ICNs.

Keywords: Long-term care, Hospitals, Infection control, Nurses, Education