Infectious disease control knowledge and practice among health care workers in Bolan Medical College Hospital Quetta Pakistan.

Sammanfattning: Background Hospital-acquired infections are significant cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients worldwide. Healthcare workers during job are exposed to blood borne pathogens through contact with infected body parts, blood and body fluids. World health organization (WHO) estimated that globally about 2.5% of HIV and 40% of hepatitis viral infected cases are among health workers due to exposures. The most important mechanism of spread of these pathogens is through contaminated hands of the healthcare workers. Standard precautions measures are essential to prevent and control healthcare associated infection among healthcare workers and patients. In developing countries despite the development of detailed guideline for infection control the knowledge of standard precautions is low and not properly applied. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and practice of health care workers regarding standard precautions and hand hygiene to infectious disease control.  Aim The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of health care workers regarding hand wash and standard precautions to control infectious diseases in BMCH. In addition create awareness among participants and encourage them to practice regularly hand hygiene and standard precautions to control or reduce nosocomial infections in health care facilities Methods The study design is cross-sectional evaluation of healthcare worker knowledge and practices about standard precautions and hand hygiene for infectious disease control. A questionnaire administered to health care workers (doctors and nurses). The questionnaire was divided in two parts and the first part concerns demographic information, asking knowledge and practice. The second part asked opinions about risk and prevention of HAIs. The questionnaire was developed with consultation of other studies of the same kind. It has been pre tested and is finalized for survey. The ethical approval was given by hospital superintendent and informs consent from all study participants. Statistic analysis was done on Excel and statistical software SPSS version 20. Data was described in numbers, percentages and Chi Square test done for association among categorical variables, significant level was considered P= <0.05. Results Two hundred questionnaires were distributed to HCWs in BMCH and 169 completely fill questionnaire were returned. The male gender respondents were 42% and female respondents were 58%. The basic questions about knowledge of hand hygiene and standard precautions were answered well in both categories; about 73% were with sufficient knowledge. The practice of hand hygiene and standard precautions was not satisfactory among both categories; about 47% found with good practice. Differences found in sub groups, young age none trained doctors and nurses answered wrong and shown lack of knowledge. This study found an association of age, profession and job experience with knowledge and practice regarding hand hygiene and standard precautions. Open handed questions described well the major issue regarding HAIs and participants emphasized on risk and prevention methods.  Conclusions The respondents were HCWs (doctors and nurses) of both sex and this study found that majority of HCWs have good knowledge and practice about control of HAIs but difference were found in age groups, sex and profession. Above half of the HCWs were not trained for infection control in health facilities, thus getting training of infection control is important but more important is implementation of it during practice.