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Abstract
Background
Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are the common conditions among hospitalized patients and health care workers (HCWs). HAI prolongs hospitalization; increases cost of treatment and contribute to death. This study aims to assess knowledge, practice and associated factors with prevention of HAIs among nurses in Aksum Saint Mary hospital, Northern Ethiopia.
Method
Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 25 - June15, 2019 among 139 nurses in Aksum Saint Mary hospital. A pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered using EPI info version 7.0 statistical software and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical package. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was also carried out to identify factors associated with the dependent variable. A p-value less than 0.05 were used to declare statistical significance.
Result
139 (97.2%) nurses participated in the study. 52.5 % of the nurses had good knowledge; similarly 48.6 % of them had good practice on prevention of HAIs. Work experience [AOR = 2.3, 95% CI (1.54–3.91)] and having formal training [AOR = 1.6, 95 % CI (1.15–3.82)] were significantly associated with knowledge. While, educational status [AOR = 2.4, 95 % CI (1.6–4.06)], work experience [AOR = 1.82, 95 % CI (1.08–2.78)] and availability of guidelines [AOR.
= 2.6, 95 % CI (2.26–4.37)] were found to be significantly associated with practice.
Conclusion and recommendation
Nurses’ knowledge and practice regarding to prevention of HAIs was found to be inadequate. Being more experienced and attending formal training showed a positive association with knowledge; while having higher educational status, being more experienced and reading guidelines on prevention of HAIs were found to be associated with good practice. Continuing educational programs, in-service training and ensuring availability of the necessary guidelines are essential steps to improve knowledge and practice of nurses regarding to prevention of HAIs.
List of acronyms and abbreviations
HAI
Hospital Acquired Infection
HCAI
Health Care Associated Infection
SPSS
Statistical Package for Social Sciences
SSI
Surgical Site Infections
UTI
Urinary Tract Infection
WHO
World Health Organization+
Keywords
Hospital acquired infections
Knowledge
Nurse
Practice
Cited by (0)
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Summary
Read the full fact sheet- There are things you can do before and during your stay in hospital that will help reduce the chance of you getting an infection.
- Common types of healthcare associated infections are those associated with chest infections, surgical wounds or the insertion of medical devices such as an intravenous drip, urinary catheter or wound drain.
- Some people are more susceptible to healthcare associated infections than others.
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
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