Practice Of Infection Control Measures Research Articles

Knowledge and practice of infection control measures among nurses in Jordan

Background/Aims Healthcare-associated infections are a global concern, with effective infection control measures being crucial in hospital settings. Nurses' knowledge and practice of infection control measures play a crucial role in ensuring patient safety. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of infection control measures among nurses in Jordan. Methods A non-experimental, descriptive cross-sectional design was used in a not-for-profit, specialised cancer centre and two private hospitals in Jordan. A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 267 nurses. The questionnaire was divided into three parts. The first part collected sociodemographic data. The second part consisted of 17 multiple-choice questions assessing knowledge of infection control measures, with a score range of 0–17. The third part comprised 16 questions on a 5-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree; 5=strongly agree), with a higher mean score indicating better self-reported infection control practice. Responses were analysed using standard statistical methods, with a P value of 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results The majority of the sample were women (65.2%), with a mean age of 26.7±2.1 years. The mean total knowledge score was 13.81 out of 17.00 and the mean practice score was 4.02 out of 5.00. Significant differences were found across groups depending on hospital type (private vs not for profit), area of practice, years of experience, level of education and whether respondents had received specific training. Conclusions Level of education, training and specific workplace factors may all affect nurses' knowledge and practice of infection control measures. This study highlights the need for strategic educational and training programmes for nurses to improve patient safety.

A Study to assess the effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme on knowledge and practice regarding infection control measures in labour room among fourth year BSc(N) students in selected Nursing Colleges of Tumkur

Background: Pregnancy, delivery is a normal physiological process. Most of the time the women achieve normal pregnancy outcome without any complication. But too many mothers and children in the world are dying and suffering from the effects ill health, poor nutrition and inadequate health care. The Puerperal sepsis is the second leading cause for maternal mortality i.e. 15% of maternal death due to sepsis. Today’s student Nurses are Tomorrow staff nurses. Nurses being the backbone of health care services at all levels play vital role in achieving this goal. Aim and Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge and practice regarding infection control measures in labour room among fourth year BSc(N) students. Methodology: A Pre-experimental design was chosen for the study and conducted at selected Nursing colleges. The sample consisted of 60 students. The convenience sampling technique was used to select the samples. The pre test assessment of knowledge and practice were done using a Structured knowledge questionnaire and Observational checklist respectively. The structured teaching programme was administered to fourth year B.Sc Nursing students on Infection control measures in labour and the practice of Infection control measures were demonstrated to them. The Post test was conducted after a week. Result: The comparison of pre test and post test level of knowledge and practice revealed a calculated paired t value of 13.285 and 14.281 respectively which was found to be statistically highly significant at p<0.01. The post test knowledge and practice correlation value was 0.82 the value was more than table value, which shows that there is high correlation between knowledge and practice. It was highly significant at p<0.000 value. A statistically significant level of association was identified between the source of information and knowledge level of fourth year B.Sc Nursing students. Conclusion: The study was concluded that structured teaching programme on infection control measures in labour room was an effective method to improve the knowledge and practice level of student nurses on the significance of decreasing maternal mortality and morbidity.

Knowledge and practice of infection control during radiology procedures among radiography undergraduates in Sri Lanka

IntroductionSufficient knowledge and adherence to infection control measures are essential for healthcare workers to effectively combat healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). Radiography undergraduates should stay updated and proficient in their infection control practice. This study aimed to assess knowledge and practice of infection control measures during radiological procedures among radiography undergraduates in Sri Lanka. MethodA web-based, descriptive, self-administered, cross-sectional study was conducted. The questionnaire collected data on demographic, knowledge and practice related to infection control measures from radiography undergraduates. ResultsA total of 167 radiography undergraduates returned the completed questionnaire. The majority (88%) have never participated in infection control programs. The mean knowledge and practice scores were 58% and 41.1%, indicating moderate and poor levels, respectively. A significant difference was observed in the overall knowledge of infection control when considering the academic year (p = 0.001) and the duration of clinical exposure (p = 0.01). There was no significant difference between practice and gender, age, ethnicity, academic year and duration of clinical exposure (p > 0.05). ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that knowledge of nosocomial infection was moderate and practice was inadequate among most of the radiography students surveyed. This highlights the need to reassess the educational components of radiography programs to incorporate practical and comprehensive teaching, learning and monitoring of infection control measures.

Effectiveness of awareness video on knowledge, attitude and practice regarding infection control measures among housekeeping employees in teritary care hospital at Puducherry

Introduction: The prevalence of Hospital acquired infections (HAI) varies widely across the globe. Worldwide, it is estimated that almost 10% of the hospitalized patients acquire at least one HAI. House keeping employees are at high risk of being infected and also, they serves as a tool of spreading infection and also most of them lack in knowledge and practice of infection control measures. Hence a study was planned to evaluate the effectiveness of awareness vedio on infection control measures among house keeping employees at selected hospital, Puducherry.. Methodology: Sixty samples who fit into the inclusion criteria were selected by Simple random Sampling technique. 30 minutes of Awareness video on infection control practices shown to house keeping employees followed by assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice and the differences were noted. The effectiveness of statistically tested by paired t test Result: In evaluation of knowledge, attitude and practice the improvement score was statistically tested by paired t- test which was found to be highly statistically significant at p

Promotion of knowledge, attitude, and practice among medical undergraduates regarding infection control measures during COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundMedical students are exposed to many serious healthcare-associated infections throughout their learning and training time particularly during a pandemic like COVID-19. Therefore, promotion of their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding infection control measures is a mandatory action.ObjectiveThis study was executed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of medical undergraduates toward infection control measures before and after the implementation of practical infection control training for them.MethodsA quasi-experimental prospective study was conducted on a simple random sample of medical undergraduates at Al-Qunfudah College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, KSA. A total of 177 medical undergraduates were recruited for this study and completed a predesigned survey on their knowledge regarding infection control measures. Moreover, their practice of infection control measures was evaluated through a checklist before and 6 months after receiving practical infection control training during their academic year 2020–2021.ResultsA total of 177 and 176 responses were obtained at the pre-test and post-test, respectively. The mean ages of students who participated in pre-training and post-training assessments were (22.50 ± 1.02 and 22.03 ± 1.34), respectively with female sex predominance (62.1 and 61.9%). Mean knowledge and practice scores among them were enhanced from (7.79 ± 2.10 and 4.56 ± 2.58) at their pre-test to (11.06 ± 1.27 and 15.68 ± 1.90) at post-test (P-value 0.001 and <0.001), respectively. After training, almost all of them recommended infection control training for all medical students due to its great value.ConclusionThe training course has shown its capability in the promotion of medical undergraduates' knowledge, attitude, and practice toward infection control measures.

Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Cross Infection Control Among Students of Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, and Dental Technology in Jordan

Background: Cross infection control, to reduce the incidence of disease transmission between patients and dental team personnel, is an integral part of good clinical practice. Objective: To assess knowledge, attitude and practice of cross infection control among dental, dental hygiene, and dental technology students. Methods: Data were collected by a self-administrated questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice of infection control measures. The questionnaire was published electronically to final year dental, dental hygiene, and dental technology students through student’s official social media groups . Results: Statistically significant difference was found in relation to students' specialization (p-value ≤ 0.05). None of the dental hygienist students had a negative attitude about infection control, while most of participants with a negative attitude were dental technology students (84.6%). No statistically significant difference (p&gt;0.05) was found between groups in regard to cross-infection knowledge, where the level of knowledge ranged from moderate to good. Conclusion: Good knowledge, attitude, and practice were reported for dental and dental hygiene students, while good knowledge with a negative attitude was found amongst dental technology students. Specialty affected the practice of infection control measures, yet gender was not a significant variable. Improvement of the university curriculum, particularly for dental technology students, to increase awareness and knowledge of cross infection control is highly recommended.

Knowledge of COVID-19 infection control among healthcare workers in radiology departments in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT Radiological examinations have played a crucial role in the identification and management of COVID-19 patients. Therefore, knowledge and awareness of infection control among healthcare workers in radiology departments are important to prevent disease transmission. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of infection control for COVID-19 among healthcare workers in radiology departments in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional, online questionnaire was administered among healthcare workers in radiology departments in Saudi Arabia in May 2020. The questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics, profession, knowledge of infection control for COVID-19, and good practice of infection control measures for COVID-19 in radiology departments. A descriptive statistical analysis and chi-square test were performed using SPSS software. A total of 234 (91%) of healthcare workers replied that they have good knowledge about the precautions needed during the examination of positive COVID-19 cases in radiology departments, and 216 (84%) replied that they knew the necessary precautions when using portable X-ray machine. Moreover, 191 (>74%) of those surveyed agreed that wearing personal protective equipment and following the CDC sequence. There was significant association between profession and good clinical practices in radiology departments regarding COVID-19. Such knowledge could limit the spread of COVID-19 among the healthcare workers in radiology departments.

Analyzing Healthcare Workers’ Perspectives on Healthcare-Associated Infections and Infection Control Practices Using Video Reflexive Ethnography (VRE)

Background: This study explores the perspectives of healthcare workers on the healthcare-associated infection (HAI) and infection control measures in a tertiary-care unit, through a self-administered questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and reflexive sessions based on video-recorded sterile procedures performed in respondents’ work contexts. Video reflexive ethnography (VRE) is a method that provides feedback to medical practitioners through reflection analysis, whereby practitioners identify problems and find solutions. Methods: Quantitative questionnaire data were used to assess the knowledge of HAI among 50 healthcare workers and their attitude toward practice of infection control measures. Semistructured interviews based on an interview guide were used to collect qualitative data from 25 doctors and nurses. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim immediately. Also, routine sterile procedures in the wards and intensive care unit were video recorded, and the footage was discussed by the infection control team and the personnel involved in the videos. This discussion was video recorded and transcribed. Both interview data and reflexive discussion of video-graph were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The quantitative data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Results: The quantitative data revealed no difference in the knowledge, attitude, and practice scores used to evaluate the infection control practices among the healthcare workers. We identified 4 themes from the qualitative data: (1) knowledge of HAI and infection control, (2) infection control measures in practice, (3) the shortfall in infection control measures and HAI, and (4) required implementation. Although the qualitative data indicated that the participants had excellent compliance with hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) use, the VRE and reflective sessions indicated otherwise. Some astounding lapses were revealed, like failure to engage in boundary maintenance between sterile and nonsterile areas, failure to observe proper hand hygiene measures, and use of traditional hijab face covers (used in an unsterile environment as well) instead of surgical masks. These findings demonstrate the advantage of combining VRE with qualitative and quantitative methodology to deduct the lapses in the practice of infection control among healthcare workers. Conclusions: Introduction of training programs focused on HAI and infection control measures in the educational system will help better inform medical and nursing students. Live video demonstrations of appropriate infection control practices during sterile procedures would be highly beneficial to educate the healthcare workers on correct infection control practices. Lapses in the use of PPE can be a possible reason for the outbreak of MERS-CoV, an endemic disease, in this part of Saudi Arabia.Disclosures: NoneFunding: None

Healthcare workers\u2019 perspectives on healthcare-associated infections and infection control practices: a video-reflexive ethnography study in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia

BackgroundHealthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global public health problem. For the fulfillment of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the promotion of preventive care medicine through HAI management is a crucial issue. This study explores the perspectives of Saudi tertiary healthcare workers (HCWs) on HAIs and infection control measures.MethodsQuantitative data were assessed to determine HCWs’ knowledge of HAI and their attitudes towards and practice of infection control measures. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data from 40 doctors and nurses. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Further, routine sterile procedures in the wards and intensive care units were video recorded, and the footage was discussed by the infection control team and the personnel involved in the videos. This discussion was videographed and transcribed. Both interview data and reflective discussion of the video were analysed using thematic analysis. The quantitative data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and logistic regression analysis.ResultsKruskal–Wallis test revealed no difference in mean knowledge, attitude, or practice scores between nurses/ doctors or the genders. There was a significant difference in knowledge score and practice scores between the Intensive care unit & the Paediatric ward /infection control department with the maximum scores in knowledge and practice among participants from the intensive care unit. Logistic regression analysis for dependent variables (knowledge and attitude) and independent variables like age, gender, designation, and departments was not significant. The qualitative data yielded four themes: knowledge of HAI and infection control, infection control measures in practice, a shortfall in infection control measures and HAI, and required implementation. Video-reflexive ethnography (VRE) revealed lapses in handwashing practice and proper usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), especially surgical masks.ConclusionEarly introduction of training programmes in medical and nursing schools and video demonstrations of appropriate infection control practices during sterile procedures would be highly beneficial to HCWs. A possible reason for the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus in this part of Saudi Arabia could be a lapse in PPE usage. Intensive training programs for all the HCWs, strict vigilant protocols, and a willingness to change behaviour and practice, will significantly benefit the spread of outbreaks.

Practices of Infection Control Among Dental Care Providers: A Cross Sectional Study.

BackgroundA wide range of microorganisms poses a threat to patients and dental care teams. Implementation of safety guidelines is thus essential to prevent infection in dental clinics.AimTo investigate the level of infection-control practices among dental health-care providers in Jordan.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to dental care providers from hospitals, academic institutions, and dental centres. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic variables, professional characteristics, and recommended guidelines of infection control.ResultsA total of 190 questionnaires were obtained out of 500 distributed questionnnaires (response rate: 38%). Females accounted for 62.6% of the sample and 64.7% were dentists. The majority was vaccinated against hepatitis B (82.1%) and wash their hands as usual behavior before (66.3%) and after (83.2%) treatment. Approximately 87.9% wear gloves and 78.9% wear masks while performing dental procedures. Autoclave sterilization and puncture-resistant containers for sharp instruments were used by 90.5% and 88.4%, respectively. The majority (81.0%) had protocols for emergency treatment of needle stick or other sharps accidents. High volume evacuation was used in 28.6% of public hospitals compared to 19.4% in academic institutions (P<0.01). In addition, surface barriers for dental unit surfaces were used by 70.2% of private dental clinics, 50% of public hospitals, and 36.1% of academic institutions (P<0.001). Finally, compared to dentists, dental support staff showed low compliance with infection-control guidelines.ConclusionThe overall practice of infection-control measures among the participants is very good. Educational programs and training strategies should be implemented to maximize and enhance the compliance of the dental care providers with infection-control guidelines.

ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE REGARDING INFECTION CONTROL MEASURES AMONG STAFF NURSES

Background: Nurses are often exposed to various infections during the course of carrying out their nursing activities. Therefore nurses should have knowledge and strict adherence to infection control practice. Aim: The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and level of practice of infection control measures among staff nurses. Methods: A descriptive correlation research design was utilized with total sample of (245) staff nurses who were working in Meniet El-Nasr Central Hospital that affiliated to Ministry of Health. Tools of data collection: Self-administered questionnaire sheet was used to assess nurses' knowledge about infection control measures and an observation checklist that was used for assessing staff nurses' practice. Results: Revealed that 85.3% of staff nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge and 71.0% of them had inadequate practice regarding infection control measures. Conclusion: The findings pointed to, the majority of the staff nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge and inadequate practice regarding infection control measures. Recommendations: Training course program is necessary to increase nurses’ knowledge and practice towards nosocomial infection control measures regularly.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Infection Control Measures in Private Dental Clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Infection Control Measures in Private Dental Clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Awareness of Infection Control among Dental Students and Interns

Disease transmission can occur through direct contact, blood, oral fluids, or other secretions and indirect contact with contaminated instruments, operatory equipment, or objects. Prevention of cross contamination helps in reducing the infection. The level of education of the students, and their knowledge about the infection control directly relates to the patient care. The current study aims to determine the level of knowledge and infection control procedures among dental students in a clihnical practice. This was a cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire comprised of 18 open and close-ended questions related to infection control and prevention. Answers of the questions were analysed by SPSS version 20. Among the students included, 53 (36.8%) participants were intern, 31 (21.5%) from fifth year, 31 (21.5) from fourth year and 29 (20.1) were third year. Performance satisfaction shows that the students were fairly satisfied with their performance. When students were asked to rate the implementation of infection control policy in their clinical practice 1 (0.7%) were very good, 74 (51.4%) were fair, 44 (30.6%) were good are while 25 (17.4%) were poor to implement infection control policy in their practice. The level of knowledge and practice of infection control measures was poor among dental students. The attitude towards infections control measures was positive, but a greater compliance was needed. Formal class and examination may help improve knowledge and clinical practices.

Effectiveness of training program on attitude and practice of infection control measures among nurses in two teaching hospitals in Ogun State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND:Infection control has become a major concern in the health-care system and health-care workers, particularly nurses are at high risk of infection. This study, therefore, examined the effect of a training program on attitude and practice of infection control among nurses in two tertiary hospitals in Ogun State, Nigeria.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This study adopted a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 87 participants. The experimental group consisted of 42 registered nurses from Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ogun state, Nigeria, while the control group consisted of 45 registered nurses from Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was attitude toward components of infection control questionnaire (r = 72) and practice of infection control questionnaire (r = 76). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 (SPSS Inc. Chicago IL, USA).RESULTS:Findings showed that the mean age in the experimental group was 34.92 ± 8.9 while the control group was 47.43 ± 6.6. The average years of experience for the experimental group were 10.42 ± 9.9 while that of the control group were 21.89 ± 8.7. Responses on attitude showed that 30 participants (69%) had positive attitude in the experimental group compared to 21 participants (46.7%) in the control group. The mean difference was 4.02. Significant difference was observed between mean attitude score of participants in the experimental group and control group (P = 0.03), between mean practice score (P = 0.001), and between self-reported and observed practices (P = 0.000).CONCLUSION:The training was effective in improving attitude and practice of infection control. Adequate provision of structured training programs on infection control measures is recommended.

Compliance of Dental Students toward Infection Control in Dental Teaching Hospital at Thamar University – Yemen

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice related to gender and study level toward infection control among senior dental students. Materials and Methods: The self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the pre-doctoral dental students (4th and 5th levels) in the Dental Teaching Hospital at Thamar University. It included questions related to vaccinations as well as knowledge and practice toward infection control. The collected data was analyzed using Chi-squared test with significant level P-value &lt; 0.05. Results: Response rate was 63%. Distribution of gender among the participants was almost equal with slight increase in number of male subjects. Participated students from 4th-year level were also close to the number of students from 5th-year level. Hepatitis immunization was completed by only 12.9% male students and 17.3% females with no significant difference. Likewise, no significant difference was found among the participants by study level. More than 90% of participants reported always wearing gloves during dental treatment. Unexpectedly, however, using of other protective barriers was low. More than 90% of students, with no significant difference between genders or study levels, reported sterilizing instruments after each dental procedure. Conclusion: The present study showed that the level of knowledge and practice of infection control measures was poor among dental students. The attitude towards infectious control measures was positive, but a greater compliance was needed. Rigorous infection control training for students prior to graduation is also highly recommended.Keywords: Infection control, Compliance, Dental students, Yemen.

Infection control measures among dental practitioners in a Southern state of India: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: The identification of hepatitis B virus, human immunodeficiency virus as an occupational hazard in dentistry urged all practicing dentists, dental auxiliaries, and dental laboratories to employ appropriate infection control procedures. Aim: The aim of this study to investigate whether there is a scope for improvement in the practice of infection control measures. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaire, to obtain information about procedures used for prevention of cross-infection in dental practices. The study subjects, dental practitioners in Guntur district, were obtained using snowball technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19 software. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize the results and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the study population was 36.48 ± 8.94 years. Of the 183 study subjects, 136 (74.3%) were males and 47 (25.7%) females. Of the total practitioners, 45% usually treated ≥10 patients per day, and 52% had the habit of taking medical history for all patients. Statistically significant difference had been found between the practitioners with Bachelor of Dental Surgery and Master of Dental Surgery as their highest qualification, regarding the method of sterilization of handpiece (P = 0.03). Conclusion: This study result suggests that there was a scope for improvement in the practice of infection control procedures among dental care professionals.

Perception and Practice Regarding Infection Control Measures among Healthcare Workers in District Government Hospital of Tumkur, India

Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often under recognized and under supported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Hence the objective of the present study was to assess perception & practice of infection control measures among healthcare workers in district government hospital of Tumkur.

Differences in the compliance with hospital infection control practices during the 2009 influenza H1N1 pandemic in three countries

In December 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued updated guidelines on the prevention of H1N1 influenza virus in healthcare settings. In 2010, the WHO pandemic influenza alert level was still at phase 6. To study the practice of infection control measures during the 2009 influenza H1N1 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs) in three countries. A standardized, self-administered anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted in 2010 among doctors, nurses and allied HCWs in 120 hospital-based clinical departments in Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK. Questions were asked on demographics; previous experience and perceived severity of influenza; infection control practices; uptake of seasonal influenza vaccination and H1N1 vaccination. Multiple logistic regression was used to test the independent association with different factors. A total of 2100 HCWs in the three countries participated. They reported high compliance (>80%) with infection control procedures regarded as standard for droplet-transmitted infections including wearing and changing gloves, and washing hands before and after patient contact. However, the reported use of masks with indirect or direct patient contact (surgical or N95 as required by their hospital) varied considerably (96.4% and 70.4% for Hong Kong; 82.3% and 87.7% for Singapore; 25.3% and 62.0% for the UK). Reported compliance was associated with job title, number of patient contacts and perceived severity of pandemics. There was no association between the uptake for seasonal or 2009 H1N1 vaccines and compliance. Compliance with infection control measures for pandemic influenza appears to vary widely depending on the setting.

Perception and practice regarding infection control measures amongst healthcare workers in district government hospitals of Mangalore, India

Introduction: Healthcare workers must know the various measures for their own protection. They should improve organization of work, implement standard precautions and dispose biomedical waste properly to prevent occupational exposure. This study aimed at assessing the perception and practice of infection control measures amongst the healthcare workers in Mangalore. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by using a pretested semi-structured proforma, by interview cum observational technique. One hundred and twenty healthcare workers (70 hospital staff including nurses and technicians at the two Government District Hospitals and 50 final-year MBBS students) were selected using convenient sampling and their perception and practice regarding infection control measures were studied. Results: Of the 120 participants, the majority (85.8%) was aware of disposing used needles and syringes in puncture-resistant containers but only 55.7% were actually practicing it. Three-fourths (75.8%) of the participants were aware about not recapping the needles after use but on observation, only 35.4% were practicing this. All healthcare workers were aware about the indication for using masks and gloves while handling patients, while only 77.1% were using them. We also found that only 61.8% washed their hands after attending every patient, 94.3% cleaned the area with a sterile swab before giving injections and only 35.7% of the labs/ wards/ operation theatres had three colored bags. Few (11.7%) of the workers have already been exposed to infectious blood samples and some (19.2%) are still not immunized against Hepatitis B. Conclusion: There is a need for improvement in the perception and practice of infection control measures among healthcare workers for both self and patient's protection. They should also get themselves immunized against Hepatitis B and report accidental exposure to infectious samples to the infection control committee.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Regarding Infection Control Measures Among Dental Students in Central India

A questionnaire study was conducted among 245 dental students from Bhopal city, Central India, to determine their level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding infection control measures and if any correlation exists among the knowledge, attitudes, and practice scores. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of three parts: knowledge, attitudes, and practice. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare mean of knowledge, attitudes, and practice scores and Kendall's test to compute the correlation between knowledge, attitudes, and practice scores. A p value of ≤0.05 was considered significant for all statistical analyses. We found that 61.2 percent of the dental students had not been vaccinated with hepatitis B. Use of face mask, gloves, eyewear, and protective clothing as standard infection control measures was practiced only by two students. Mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 3.75 (1.01), 3.40 (0.75), and 3.35 (1.04), respectively. Significant linear correlation was seen between attitude and practice scores (r=0.20, p≤0.01). The level of knowledge and practice of infection control measures was poor among dental students. The attitude towards infection control measures was positive, but a greater compliance was needed. We recommend rigorous training on infection control measures prior to graduation and mandatory hepatitis B immunization of students before exposure to clinical practice.