Abstract:
Background: Infection prevention plays a key role in preventing a n d reducing the rate of
healthcare associated infections. Proper infection prevention practices are fundamental to quality of
care, and essential to protect healthcare workers, patients, and communities. Particularly in a country such
as Ethiopia, where the prevalence of serious infectious diseases so high, and preventive interventions for
both these diseases are minimal, failure to follow proper infection prevention practices puts healthcare
workers, patients and the communities at tremendous risk.There were no studies in study area,which
focused on infection prevention practices of health care workers by using observational checklist.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the infection prevention practice of health care
workers and associated factors in hospitals in west shoa zone, Central Ethiopia 2019.
Method: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 4 up to 25, 2019 among
health care workers in Hospitals of west shoa zone, Central Ethiopia. Seven Hospitals were included in
the study from west shoa Zone. There were 857 health care workers and 276 were included in the study
selected proportionally from the Hospitals. Data were collected using self administered questionnaire,
observational checklist and entered into Epi-data and using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
(SPSS) version 24. Multivariable logistic regression model was carried out to identify potential predictors
of infection prevention practices. A p- value of < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval was considered as
statistically significant.
Results: A total of 259 health care workers participated and yielding a response rate of 93.8% and
majorities, 157(60. 6%) were male. About 225(86.9%) of the respondents were found to be
knowledgeable about infection prevention ,more than half of the respondents 134(51.7%) have positive
attitude and 123(47.5%) of healthcare workers who had good practice towards infection
prevention.Observational result showed that ,22(39.3%) of service unit observed, health care workers
have good practice on infection prevention. The knowledge of participants has association with infection
prevention practice and attitude did not have.
Conclusion: The study revealed that majority of healthcare workers were knowledgeable about
infection prevention and infection prevention practice among healthcare workers was considered to be
low. Individual factors (profession, knowledge) and Organizational factors (Sufficient and appropriate
personal protective equipment) were found to be significantly associated in the multivariate analysis.
