Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Health Professionals towards Nosocomial Infection

Abstract

Introduction: A hospital-acquired infection, also known as Nosocomial Infection, is an infection whose development is favored by a hospital environment, such as one acquired by a patient during a hospital visit or one developing among hospital staff, that becomes clinically evident after 48 hours of hospitalization.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of Health care professionals towards Nosocomial Infection, to find the gap present between knowledge, attitude and practices and to give suggestions to remove the gap.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the doctors and nurses in different units of Allied Hospital Faisalabad.  Out of 250 only 244 participants replied, and convenient sampling was used. It was an anonymous survey and participation was voluntary. SPSS used for data entry and analysis. Means ± SD were calculated for continuous data and tables and figures used for categorical data. All the tests were performed using alpha=0.05

Results: For this KAP study the response rate was 97.6%, majority of the participants (89.3%)   were females; the mean age was 24.52 ±3.240 years, 79.50% were doctors and 20.5% were nurses, more than half were house officers (60.7%).87.7% had a good idea about nosocomial infection, and majority thought it was either respiratory tract infection (31.6%) or surgical wound infection (31.6%). Most common causative organism is thought to be all 3 of E.coli, Staphylococcus Aureus, and Pseudomonas (38.1%). Immunocompromised adults were the most important risk factor. Among practices of health care professionals, majority denied washing their hands before touching every patient (62.7%), before aseptic procedures (60.2%), after exposure to body fluids (52.5%) or after touching a patient (42.2%). Out of 244, 215 (88.1%) agreed that all equipment should be properly sterilized, while, only about 119 (48.8%) responded that they always used a newly sterilized equipment for every new patient. Only 22.1% of health care professionals kept themselves well updated with latest antibiotics prescribing information.

Conclusion: Knowledge and attitude of doctors and nurses of Allied Hospital towards nosocomial infection is good.  There is lack of obligation towards practices and major factors such as hand washing, ward hygiene, and proper sterilization are frequently ignored.

Keywords: Health Professionals, Nosocomial Infection. KAP study. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.