Infection Prevention Practices and Associated Factors Among Health care workers In Hospitals of West Shoa zone, Central Ethiopia.

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.