Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is one of the common problems and difficulties faced by hospitals in all countries around the world. Since nurses are part of the healthcare team that plays a unique role in the control of hospital infection, this study is conducted to analyze the knowledge and practice of healthcare personnel about standard precautions for hospital infection.

MATERIALS & METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted on 170 nurses worked in medical surgical wards, pediatric wards, dialysis units of two teaching hospitals in Zabol city, Iran, in 2014. The sample population was selected through simple random sampling. The data collection instrument is composed of a researcher-made questionnaire titled “Hospital-acquired infection Control” based on precautions posited by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data were fed into the SPSS software v.20 and were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS: The results show that 43% of the participants in this study had poor knowledge, 42% had average practice, and 37% had a moderate attitude about hospital infection. There was a significant relationship between knowledge and gender (r = 00.8 p = 0.02). However, the variables of age, marital status, employment, work experience, education, and place of work did not establish a significant relationship with the independent variables (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION: As the results indicate a low level of awareness among the personnel about hospital infection, it is suggested to provide training sessions on the prevention and control of HAI to increase the awareness of personnel and hold practical courses for practicing these principles.

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