Abstract
BackgroundNon-compliance with infection control guidelines has been reported within healthcare settings. Infection control education in undergraduate healthcare education programs forms a critical component in preparing student healthcare workers for vocational roles.MethodsClinical sciences students (nutrition science, paramedicine, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry studying for qualifications recognised by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) self-reported hygiene perceptions and practices and collected microbiological swabs from personal or medical equipment items before and after recommended disinfection procedures.ResultsCultivable microorganisms were isolated from 95% of student medical equipment items. Disinfection significantly reduced microbial growth on student medical equipment items (P < 0.05).ConclusionsStudent perceptions of infection control procedures do not always correlate with infection control practice. Infection control education of undergraduate healthcare students requires ongoing assessment to ensure successful translation into clinical practice.
Highlights
Non-compliance with infection control guidelines has been reported within healthcare settings
Knowledge of the ability of clothing and medical items to act as vectors for carriage of transient microorganisms is critical for reinforcing healthcare workers (HCW) understanding of procedures that can interrupt the chain of infection [12]
The aim of this study was to assess the microbial load on undergraduate clinical sciences student’s personal or medical equipment items to: (1) create a tangible inquiry based learning opportunity regarding the presence of “invisible” microorganisms and infectious disease transmission routes; (2) determine whether student hygiene perceptions and practice matched those prescribed by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) prevention and control of infectious disease guidelines; and (3) leverage the results to highlight the efficacy of a simple disinfection procedure on reducing the risk of infectious disease transmission
Summary
Non-compliance with infection control guidelines has been reported within healthcare settings. Infection control education in undergraduate healthcare education programs forms a critical component in preparing student healthcare workers for vocational roles. Breaking the chain of infection underpins infection prevention and control policy, teaching this content to undergraduate students studying health courses is challenging, with infection control frequently seen as boring. Infection prevention and control practices aim to control and reduce the risk of HAI transmission by breaking the chain of infection between the microbe and the susceptible host: HCW, fomites, and patients. Regulatory bodies, including The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), provide infection control guidelines for healthcare workers [11]. Evidence suggests that HCWs demonstrate poor compliance with infection control protocols, potentially as a result of limited infectious disease knowledge [2, 3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
