Effectiveness of a Structured Training Programme for Orthopaedic Nurses in Fracture Wound Care in Kaduna State

Nurses play a central role in post-operative wound care and rehabilitation of orthopaedic fracture patients, yet standardised training in fracture wound management is often absent from continuing professional development programmes in Nigerian public hospitals. This quasi-experimental study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured training programme for orthopaedic ward nurses in fracture wound care at three public hospitals in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. Sixty nurses from the orthopaedic units of Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and two general hospitals will be enrolled and assessed for wound care knowledge and practice competency before and after a two-day structured training intervention. The training will cover wound assessment, dressing techniques, infection recognition, documentation, and referral for specialist review. Knowledge and practice scores will be compared pre- and post-intervention using paired t-tests, and competency retention assessed at three months. The study hypothesises significant improvement in both knowledge and practice scores following the intervention. Findings will be reported to the Kaduna State Hospital Management Board and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) to support integration of fracture wound care training into regional continuing nursing education. This research contributes to the evidence base for structured nurse training programmes in orthopaedic care across North West Nigeria, with potential national applicability. Keywords: nurse training, fracture wound care, orthopaedic nursing, Kaduna, continuing education.