Knowledge, attitude and practice towards standard Precautions among nurses in the Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa

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.