Assessment of knowledge and practice toward infection control and prevention standards among intern doctors in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Patients and healthcare workers are susceptible to health care associated infections if they are not compliant with infection prevention and control standards. There are no previous studies regarding the assessment of knowledge and practice of intern doctors toward infection prevention and control precautions in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study that was carried-out on 259 intern doctors at the main hospitals of Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the participants after validation during their clinical rounds and their morning meetings of their departments. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Out of 259 participants, the overall mean score for knowledge assessment was 79.4±7.52. For hand hygiene mean score was 23.53±2.66 out of 30, personal protective equipment mean score was 20.63±2.49 out of 25. A significant low level of knowledge regarding needle stick injury with a score of 19.18±2.50 out of 30. Regarding, knowledge towards isolation precautions, around 50% reported adequate knowledge regarding isolation precautions. Meanwhile, 78 (30.1%) denied receiving any form of training or orientation in infection control. Conclusions: There is a moderate level of knowledge and satisfactory level of practice among intern doctors in Riyadh. However, there was some misconceptions regarding needle stick injury and isolation precaution. Implementing infection control education and training programs is recommended before starting clinical practice.