Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Οργάνωση και Διοίκηση Υπηρεσιών ΥγείαςLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Kokkoliou Aikaterini
Supervisors info:
Πέτρος Γαλάνης, Εργαστηριακό Διδακτικό Προσωπικό, Νοσηλευτική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Δάφνη Καϊτελίδου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Νοσηλευτική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Όλγα Σίσκου, Ακαδημαϊκή Υπότροφος, Νοσηλευτική Σχολή , ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Διερεύνηση των στάσεων και των γνώσεων των επαγγελματιών υγείας αναφορικά με τις λοιμώξεις σε χειρουργικές κλινικές τριτοβάθμιου γενικού νοσοκομείου
Translated title:
Healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitude towards hospital acquired infections in surgical clinics of a tertiary hospital
Summary:
Summary
Introduction: Nosocomial infections act as an impediment on every health care system in the world, creating unfavourable conditions for the provision of quality health care services and in addition to the excessive financial burden, they cause incalculable social costs both individually and at collective level.
Aim: To assess the level of knowledge and attitudes of health professionals about nosocomial infections in surgical clinics and investigate possible determinants that affect their compliance with international protocols for prevention and control of nosocomial infections.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample was conducted. There were 106 health professionals out of the 150 who were invited to participate (only medical and nursing staff) working in surgical clinics of a Tertiary Hospital in Attica (participation rate 70.6% = 106/150). The data collection was implemented over a period of 3 months between October and December 2019. Questionnaires for Healthcare-Associated Infections and Perception Survey for Healthcare Workers were used to collect the information. Data analysis was performed with Social Science Statistical Package IBM SPSS 21.0.
Results: The mean overall knowledge score for nosocomial infections was 59.4, the standard deviation was 6.7, the median was 59.8, the minimum was 45.7 and the maximum was 78.3. The highest average value in the knowledge scores was recorded regarding the safety of health professionals (83.5%) while the lowest regarding the source of nosocomial infections. No statistically significant relationships were found between demographic characteristics and overall knowledge score. The results of the multivariate linear regression showed that participants who were aware of the infection control program at their hospital and knew they had to wash their hands following the six steps of the Hand Hygiene protocol had a higher overall knowledge score for nosocomial infections.
In contrast, participants who felt that their hospital was following a good infection control and prevention strategy had a lower overall knowledge score. In addition, health professionals who washed their hands before and after examining patients, after using medical equipment for patient care, throughout and after the end of the shift, and after removing disposable gloves had a higher overall knowledge score for nosocomial infections in relation to people who did not wash their hands before performing the above actions. Finally, it was found that women had a higher score of knowledge regarding a subsection of the questionnaire, which evaluates the medical uniform as a mean of personal protection and some of the factors that favor the occurrence and spread of nosocomial infections (p = 0.020).
Conclusions: The findings of the present study are consistent with the international literature on the existence of a moderate level of knowledge regarding international prevention guidelines but also the positive correlation of the highest level of knowledge of health professionals, in the implementation of preventive measures regarding nosocomial infections as well as the absence of a significant correlation between the compliance of health professionals and their demographic characteristics. However, further investigation is recommended to identify other potential determinants that affect compliance. Through the above findings, the lack of knowledge and the obstacles that exist in order to achieve full compliance of health professionals is underlined. At the same time, these findings facilitate the organization of appropriate training programs and the formulation of effective and efficient health policies, which aim to provide universal safe health care but also a safe work environment for health professionals.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Health Professionals, Nosocomial Infections, Knowledge, Compliance, Financial Impact, Prevention, Control, Occupational Exposure, Surgical Infections, Etiological Factors.
