Knowledge of Norovirus Prevention and Control Among Infection Preventionists

Abstract

In the United States, noroviruses (NoV) are recognized as the leading causes of both epidemic gastroenteritis and foodborne disease. Infection preventionists (IPs) work in healthcare and other institutional settings to protect staff members, patients, and visitors from healthcare-associated infections, including NoV. To date there are no published data on IP’s knowledge of NoV. This study was conducted to characterize IP’s knowledge of NoV transmission, prevention, control, and illness. To recruit survey respondents, 15 public health and food safety professional organizations (e.g., American Association of Long Term Care Nurses and APIC) promoted the web-based survey to their organizational members. The online survey was hosted by Survey Monkey and was open from mid-October to mid-January 2013. A total of 1,255 completed surveys were received, of which 941 were completed by IPs. Eighty-six percent of respondents were members of APIC. Respondents’ current knowledge of NoV was measured using a 37-item questionaire, including 15 true-and-false questions on NoV prevention and control. Forty-four percent of respondents correctly identified NoV as one of the three most common causes of foodborne illness in the United States. Only 5% of respondents correctly identified the three most common settings for NoV outbreaks (healthcare facilities, restaurant/banquet facilities, and schools/day care facilities), and 73% had the misperception that cruise ships are among the top three settings. Two percent (n=16) of respondents answered all 15 true-and-false questions correctly and 64% answered at least 11 of the 15 questions correctly. The content domain in which respondents had the most incorrect answers was prevention and control strategies. The survey identified several gaps in IPs’ knowledge of NoV. Additional education is needed regarding preventing and controlling NoV. Most respondents had the misperception that foodborne bacteria cause more foodborne illness than viruses. The survey Results will be used to inform the development of Web-based educational materials on NoV prevention and control.