Comparison of knowledge and awareness of infection control practices among nurses in India: A cross-sectional survey

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 50; no. 12; pp. 1368 - 1373
• Main Authors: Sodhi, Kanwalpreet, Arya, Muktanjali, Chanchalani, Gunjan, Sinha, Vandana, Dominic Savio, Raymond, AK, Ajith Kumar, Ahmed, Ahsan, Jagiasi, Bharat, Agarwal, Diptimala, Jagathkar, Ganshyam, Khasne, Ruchira, Sahasrabudhe, Shrikant S., Jha, Simant Kumar, Sahoo, Tapas Kumar, Mittal, Vishal, HR, Hemant, Bansal, Savika, Agarwal, Chinmay, Kumar, Manender
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Care bundles; COVID-19; COVID-19 - prevention & control; Cross Infection - prevention & control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Infection Control; Knowledge of nurses; Standard precautions; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transmission-based precautions; COVID-19; Transmission-based precautions; Care bundles; Standard precautions; Knowledge of nurses; Infection control
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.02.014

•Hospital accreditation showed the strongest independent association with infection control knowledge among nurses.•Nurses’ experience, areas of work, and hospital teaching status have an independent association with infection control knowledge.•Infection control knowledge is not impacted by the type of city one works in India, has been a rewarding finding.•Stringent infection control training sessions are recommended at all levels of nursing and infection control programs should be mandatory in Critical care teaching curriculum.•Our study serves as a baseline for future evaluations and provides a basis for policy makers to implement strategies to improve infection control in the key areas of the hospital. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant threat in healthcare settings. Since nurses have the most day-to-day contact with patients, their knowledge about infection control (IC) practices is crucial in preventing HAIs. We therefore conducted a study to assess the knowledge and awareness of IC practices amongst nurses across hospitals in India. An online survey-based, cross-sectional, descriptive study for nurses was conducted in July-August 2021, through a multiple-choice questionnaire, administered via a web-based link across 13 hospitals from various cities of India. Five different aspects of IC knowledge were assessed including general IC, standard precautions, transmission-based precautions, bundle care knowledge, and COVID-19 related knowledge. Complete data filled by 1,000 nurses was analyzed. The knowledge of nurses varied across different aspects of IC. A statistically significant association was found between the IC knowledge and the years of experience (P = .003) and the area of working (critical vs semi-critical areas) (P < .001) of nurses. A statistically significant difference was also found in the knowledge of nurses from different hospitals depending upon the accreditation (P < .001) and the teaching status (P = .035), but no significant difference based on the city category of hospital (P > .05). Accreditation showed the strongest association {β = 2.499 (95% CI = 1.67-3.32)} while non-teaching status had a negative impact {β = -1.76 (95% CI = 2.543 to -2.543)} on knowledge using multivariate linear regression analysis. Infection prevention and control is the biggest challenge in any hospital and improving the knowledge and awareness of the nurses on the same is fundamental to its success. A multifaceted approach of continuing education programs, training, and feedback should be undertaken towards improving the awareness and compliance to IC practices.