Factors Associated with Prevention and Control of Hospital Acquired Infections within Nurses in Ngora Fredica Hospital Ngora District Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Hospital Acquired Infections occur worldwide and affect hundreds and millions of people, and they are related to high rates of morbidity and mortality among patients who are admitted in hospitals or health facilities and are a major problem to patients’ safety and in settings where health care is to be made safe, their close watch and avoidance should be the topmost priority. The purpose of the study was to determine the factors within the nurses that were associated to the prevention and control of Hospital-acquired infections. The study was conducted at Ngora Fredica Hospital Ngora district Eastern Uganda. Results: 63.6% and 77.3% of nurses were found to be knowledgeable on causes and transmission of HAIs, respectively, which reflected good practices on medical waste segregation (85.2%), washing hands (77.3%), and storing sharps in safety boxes (92%). Respondents demonstrated good practice on infection prevention and control. Gender (female with COR = 1.54), experience (less than four years with COR = 1.43), and cadre (COR = 1.41) were significantly associated with nurses’ prevention and control abilities. Based on the key findings, the following were the conclusions: The study has demonstrated that the majority of the nurses who had adequate Knowledge about infection prevention and nearly above one-third of healthcare providers had poor practices towards infection prevention. Individual factors (gender, advanced age, educational status - cadre, serving year-experience, specialty, Knowledge, perceptions, and practice were significantly associated with nurses’ infection prevention and control. Keywords: Control, Hospital acquired infections, Nurses, Prevention.