Background:

COVID-19 is an infectious disease that due to its high transmissibility has quickly became pandemic. Health professionals and nurses have a higher risk of exposure because they are at the forefront of combating this pandemic.

Objectives:

the study aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes, perception of risk and perception of protection of nurses against COVID-19, and possible associations between these variables.

Methodology:

this is a descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study, based on the application of a survey to a sample of 111 nurses.

Results:

the results showed satisfactory knowledge, with an average of correct answers of 68.8%; mostly positive attitudes, with an average value of 4.2 for a total score of 5; moderate risk perception with an average value of 5 for a total score of 10; moderate perception of protection due to personal protective equipment (M=2.5) and as well as a function of physical space (M=2.6) both for a total score of 5. There was an association between the level of knowledge and more positive attitudes.

Conclusion:

these results can contribute to identify factors that influence the practice of nurses, improving the quality of healthcare.