Injection Safety Practices among Nurses in Kenyan Public Hospitals.

Abstract

One of the priority areas identified by the World Health Organization in the service delivery building block is patient safety and quality of care. This is achieved by having systems and procedures that improve safety. Being a major area of intervention in the delivery of health services, the safety of injections has been identified and prioritized and as a result, a lot of resources have been invested in support of this priority. The study aimed at investigating the safety practices of nursing staff during preparation and administration of medications via injections. The study employed a cross sectional study design. The process of injection preparation and administration was observed using checklists for 355 patients proportionately sampled from 12 sites within the Rift Valley Provincial Hospital. The results showed that Nurses in medical wards were less likely to wash their hands 125 (35.2%) during injection procedures as compared to those in the surgical units 82 (23.1%). Approximately, 159(44.8%) of nurses involved reuse of injection devices during preparation of medication. Of drugs preparation, observations showed that 142 (40%) were prepared at the patient bedside. Among the patients, more than half, 218 (62.2%) received their medication after the prescribed time. There was a strong association between the number of hours a nurse had worked and the use of sterile needle and syringe to reconstitute medication was significant p=0.000.The number of patients admitted on the study sites had a significant effect on nurses’ hand washing behavior (p=0.000), preparation of injections in a clean environment (p=0.000) and the reuse of injection devices during administration of medication (p =0.000). The hospital should ensure adequate supply of injection devices and place emphasize on infection prevention to minimize reuse. Public sensitization and surveillance system for registering and reporting of unsafe injection practices to patients in hospitals should be established.