• DOI:10.34297/ajbsr.2019.04.000840
• Corpus ID: 201690798

Factors Affecting Nurses’ Compliance to Standard Precautions in Resource Scarce Settings

@article{Zeb2019FactorsAN,
  title={Factors Affecting Nurses’ Compliance to Standard Precautions in Resource Scarce Settings},
  author={Aurang Zeb},
  journal={American Journal of Biomedical Science \& Research},
  year={2019}
}

• A. Zeb
• Published 22 August 2019
• Medicine
• American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research

Background: Standard precautions are universally accepted guidelines for infection control practices in health care settings. Good compliance to standard precautions prevents nurses from occupational exposure to blood and body fluid and decrease the risk of infection transmission to them as well as to patients. Aim: The overarching aim of the study was to determine nurses’ knowledge, their compliance and factors affecting their compliance to SPs in resource scarce settings. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted to determine nurses’ knowledge, compliance and factors affecting their compliance to SPs in three tertiary care public sector hospitals in Peshawar. A total of 199 registered nurses were recruited to the study through Stratified random sampling. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Results: The mean knowledge score reported was 11.64(58.2%) with SD of 2.16(10.8%) out of 20(100%) marks. The maximum score documented was 18(90%) whereas the minimum score was 6(30%). A significant result with p-value 0.011 was obtained between training of infection control and SPs Knowledge. The mean compliance score was 33.83(56.38%) with SD of 10.84 (18.06%), with the maximum value 59(98.33%) and the minimum value of 10(16.67%) out of 60(100%). A significant association was noted between gender and compliance (p-value 0.006) and as well as between infection control training and compliance (p-value 0.001). Contributing factors towards noncompliance to SPs reported were lack of resources, workload and lack of infection control policies. Conclusion: This study identifies that nurses working in tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar do not have enough knowledge and compliance to SPs. The study suggests that health authorities should take necessary actions for developing and implementing infection control practices in these hospitals. Am J Biomed Sci & Res Copy@ Aurang Zeb American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research 385 Nurses knowledge and their compliance to standard precaution reported that that the mean score of nurses to standard precaution knowledge was 81+17 % of the nurses have good compliance to SPs [6]. Similarly, a study on 4439 healthcare workers including nurses to determine their knowledge to Standard precaution by ML Atif et al. [7] in 34 healthcare institute of France reported that the mean score on hand hygiene part of the questionnaire was 72.6% while only 7.35% correct answers were given by the respondent to the use of appropriate barriers and disposal [7]. 90.0% of the nurses felt the need for a formal training on SPs and infection control working in a university affiliated hospital in Iran [8]. Student nurses studying in different hospitals of Hong Kong China, have 78.2% knowledge of SPs [9]. A study conducted on 594 nursing students of six public sector and four private hospitals in Jordin showed that 79% of the students answered correctly the part of questionnaire related to Knowledge about standard precaution [10]. Nurses from different parts of the world have varying level of compliance to SPs. Report of the French audit general on compliance to standard precautions concluded that HCWs have good compliance up to 94% to hand hygiene [11]. A comparative study on nurses of Brazil and Hong Kong showed that compliance to standard precaution among nurses working in Brazil was 69.4% as compared to those working in Hong Kong was 57% [12]. Wilson 2006 reported that 37% of Nurses have poor compliance to standard precautions [13]. Study conducted in six NHS trusts in Wales during 2006 and 2008 reported that 47% of the respondents including surgeons and scrub nurses never wore protective devices, whereas 10.8% never used protective googles, 5.6% also responded that they never avoided passing of sharp object from hand to hand [14]. A study conducted in China by Luo, Y on nurses’ compliance to SPs found that 64% of nurses have good compliance to standard precautions. Study on student’s compliance to SPs in six public and four private universities in Joran resulted in mean compliance score was 67.4% [10]. Whereas students in Mazdaran hospital depicted different findings; the study reported that that 6% to 37% of health care workers and 47% medical students don’t know about standard precautions [15]. Students nurses in different hospitals of Hong Kong China shows that the overall compliance frequency was 4.38+0.40 out of 5 [16]. Mean compliance of students’ nurses in Jordin was 67 out of 80 marks [16,17]. Whereas 57% of the HCWs including doctors and Nurses has good compliance to SP in Zagazig university hospital Egypt [18]. In Cyprus unavailability of equipment, negative influence of equipment on nurses, workload, psychological factors, working experience as a nurse and physician influence are the main factors affecting their compliance? Chan MF [19] reported that educational level (p value .001), work experience (p value .001), and training per hour (p value .001) in a year were the significant factors affecting nurse’s compliance to SPs [19]. In a dental School Iran, lack of knowledge, workload, lack of facilities and interpersonal conflicts are the key factors reducing compliance to standard precautions. Lack of health care workers’ knowledge related standard precaution is a main factor affecting the health care workers compliance to standard precautions in Zagazig university hospital Egypt [18]. Factors that enhance the nursing students’ compliance to standard precaution knowledge in Hong Kong were good infection control training, effective managerial support, perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits of compliance [20]. Lack of knowledge, lack of means and lack of time are the factors that influence the health care worker compliance to standard precautions [21]. Study conducted in Civil hospital Karachi Pakistan on the physician compliance to standard precaution shows that unavailability of resources 58% are the main factor of non-compliance to standard precautions, while 20% of the participant on this study responded that it is not practical [10]. Though there are few studies available on the topic in different part of the world but there is a dearth of studies on this topic from Pakistani context.