Abstract:
Background and objectives:
Hospital Acquired infection (HAI) is a major health problem
globally and standard precautions are recommended to prevent the HAI. As part of the health care
team, nurses play vital role in controlling HAI. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the
knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses about standard precautions.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working in Teaching
Hospital Batticaloa between February – March 2020. A pretested, structured self-administered
questionnaire assessing core elements of KAP of standard precaution was used to collect the data.
Percentage KAP scores were calculated and the level of KAP were determined. Descriptive
analysis was done using SPSS software v.25.
Results:
A total of 367 nurses participated in the study of which 41.1% and 35.4% were in the age
groups of 21-30 and 31-40 years respectively with male: female ratio of 1:3.8. Most of the
participants (42.5%) were working in the wards with experience ranges from 01 months to 38
years. Only 13.4% received training on standard precautions while 3.3% of participants were
unaware about standard precautions. Most of the participants (53.1%) had heard of SP mainly
from infection control unit while 21.8% learned from own experience. Among the participants
73.8% had good knowledge, 56.4% had an average attitude and 94.6% had good practice.
Knowledge score was significantly associated with place of work (p = 0.018) and work experience
(p = 0.007).
Conclusion:
Educational programs concerning various aspects of Standard precautions should be
implemented. Appropriate provision of safety utilities is recommended to strengthen knowledge,
alter attitude and enhance adherence of nursing professionals to SPs.
