An Analysis of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Standard Precautions of Infection Control and Impact of Knowledge and Attitude of ICU Nurses on Self-reported Practices of Infection Control

Context World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthcareassociated infection (HCAI) as infection acquired in hospital or a healthcare setting by a patient who was admitted for a reason other than that infection. The healthcare associated infections are one of the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and increase cost. Adherence to standard precautions for infection control and simple techniques like effective hand hygiene is essential for reducing healthcare associated infections. However, compliance of healthcare workers to hand hygiene (HH) guidelines are reportedly poor. It is important, therefore, to instill adequate knowledge and good attitudes and practices at the time of primary training of the healthcare workers. This study is an attempt to identify gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) to improve existing training programs and give recommendation to enhance good practices in the future. Aims The aim of the study is to analyze KAP of nursing professionals of intensive care units (ICUs) in a tertiary care hospital and to find the impact of knowledge and attitude of the ICU nurses on self-reported practices. Settings and design The study design is a survey research which has used a self-administered questionnaire to compare the KAP of nursing professionals of an ICU in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and methods The WHO standard precautions for infection control were used as a guideline for preparing the self-administered questionnaire. The scoring system was based on a study done by Uba et al (2015). Statistical analysis Correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to establish associations between the independent and dependent variables. Results Participants had an average level of knowledge (79%), good attitude (89%) toward infection control guidelines and very good self-reported practices (91%). The collective KAP score of all the participants is good (85%) which indicates that average levels of knowledge are balanced by good attitude and very good practices. However, good knowledge is crucial for ensuring expected levels of infection control practices, and hence ensures patient safety. Conclusion To achieve an environment of patient safety, it is essential that the healthcare staff should have sound knowledge and positive attitude. The study shows the need for further improvement of the existing infection control training programs to address the gaps in KAP. Key message Good knowledge and positive attitude are essential for attaining expected levels of infection control practices among critical care nurses. How to cite this article Kaushal G, Doke P, Shah A, Verma V. An Analysis of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Standard Precautions of Infection Control and Impact of Knowledge and Attitude of ICU Nurses on Self-reported Practices of Infection Control. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2015;3(2):79-85.