Open AccessImplications of a US study on infection prevention and control in community settings in the UK
Author(s) -
Dawn Dowding,
Margaret McDonald,
Jingjing Shang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
british journal of community nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 2052-2215
pISSN - 1462-4753
DOI - 10.12968/bjcn.2020.25.12.578
Subject(s) - medicine , infection control , hygiene , nursing , agency (philosophy) , health care , family medicine , control (management) , compliance (psychology) , intensive care medicine , philosophy , epistemology , pathology , economics , economic growth , psychology , social psychology , management
Healthcare-associated infections are a significant reason for readmission to hospital post-discharge to the community. In this paper, the authors describe some of the key findings from a programme of work conducted in a home care agency (community care organisation) in the US. A survey was conducted to explore home care nurses' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs around infection control (n=415); 400 nurse-patient visits were observed, and 50 nurses were interviewed about their infection control practices. Nurses reported high compliance with infection control practices. However, the overall average adherence rate to observed hand hygiene practices was 45.6%. Interview data provided valuable insights into specific challenges faced by nurses in a home care setting. This study provides insights that can be used to enhance infection control practice in community care in the UK.