Abstract:
Background: Standard precautions are deliberate actions taken in health care settings to
prevent the transmission of certain pathogens from patient to patient, patient to health
professions and health professions to patient and provide quality and safe care for all.
Though, much research have been conducted globally, but no scientific study documented
on standard precaution practices and associated factors in the study area. Therefore this study
was assessed the infection prevention and control practices and associated factors, and the
result of this study could be used to improve the quality and safety of health care by
providing baseline data to design evidence-based interventions in the studied health facilities.
Objective: The main objective of the study is to assess practices of health professions on
standard precautions and associated factors in Public Hospitals, North Shoa, Amhara
National Regional State.
Methods: Facility based cross-sectional study design using quantitative method of data
collection was conducted from Jaunary,20 - February,30/2015 among 260 health professions.
Structured self administered questionnaires and observational checklist were used to collect
the data. The data were entered to computer using SPSS version 16.0. Univariate analysis
was used for frequency distribution of key items and multiple attributes for outcome variables
were checked for its association by using bivariate analysis/ odds ratio. Statistical
significance of the findings were checked using p value < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval.
Result: A total of 247 health professions were participated yielding the response rate of 95%
having 1.5 to 1 male to female ratio. The findings showed that, among 247 health professions
211(85.4%) respondents were knowledgeable on standard precaution. The overall hand
hygiene practice was 78(31.6%) and utilisation of personal protective equipment was
137(55.5%). In regards to injection and sharp segregation practice, those 197(79.8%)
respondents were practicing safe injection and almost all 141(97.6%) health professions were
using safety box for sharp waste segregation.
Conclusion: Even though health professions had enhanced infection prevention and control
practices, there were suboptimal hand hygiene practices and personal protective equipment
utilisation in the study health care facilities. Therefore, onsite training and monitoring on
hand hygiene practices and personal protective equipment utilisation to standard precaution
practice should be recommended
