Practice Of Infection Control Measures Research Articles

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.

Infection Control Procedures in Commercial Dental Laboratories in Jordan

The risk of cross-infection in dental clinics and laboratories has attracted the attention of practitioners for the past few years, yet several medical centers have discarded compliance with infection control guidelines, resulting in a non-safe environment for research and medical care. In Jordan, there is lack of known standard infection control programs that are conducted by the Jordanian Dental Technology Association and routinely practiced in commercial dental laboratories. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge and practices in infection control among dental technicians working in commercial dental laboratories in Jordan. Data were collected from the dental technicians by a mailed questionnaire developed by the author. The questionnaire asked respondents to provide demographic data about age and gender and to answer questions about their knowledge and practice of infection control measures: use of gloves, use of protective eyeglasses and face shields, hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination, laboratory work disinfection when sent to or received from dental offices. and regularly changing pot water or pumice slurry. Of the total respondents, 135 were males (67.5 percent) and sixty-five were females (32.5 percent) with a mean age of twenty-seven years. The results showed that 24 percent of laboratory technicians wore gloves when receiving dental impressions, while 16 percent continued to wear them while working. Eyeglasses and protective face shields were regularly worn by 35 percent (70/200) and 40 percent (80/200) of technicians, respectively. Fourteen (14 percent) had received an HBV vaccination, and 17 percent inquired if any disinfection measures were taken in the clinic. Eighty-six percent of the technicians reported that pumice slurry and curing bath water were rarely changed. Only five dental technicians (two males and three females) were considered to be fully compliant with the inventory of infection control measures, a compliance rate of 2.5 percent with no significant difference between males and females (p>0.05). In conclusion, there is lack of compliance with infection control procedures of dental technicians working in commercial laboratories in Jordan.

Paediatric emergency department staff perceptions of infection control measures against severe acute respiratory syndrome

Objectives: To determine paediatric emergency department (ED) staff perceptions of the effectiveness and practice of infection control measures against a novel virulent pathogen. Methods: All medical staff of the paediatric...

28 Paediatric Emergency Department Staff Perceptions of Infection Control Measures against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness recognized on several continents. Our city is one of the first major centres affected by SARS prompting the government to mandate rigorous infection control measures. Health care workers' perceptions of the effectiveness and practice of infection control measures during an evolving outbreak are previously unreported. The purpose of this study was to determine Paediatric Emergency Department (PED) staff perceptions of the effectiveness and practice of infection control measures against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. All medical staff of the PED in a tertiary medical centre completed a written questionnaire over 7 days near the onset of the SARS outbreak. At the time of study, the effectiveness of infection control measures against this new pathogen was unknown. Level of concern regarding SARS and perceptions of the effectiveness and use of infection control measures were assessed on a 5-point scale. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS using Chi-square and ANOVA tests with significance at p<0.05. Response rate was 97% (116/120). Using isolation rooms (mean score 4.6/5), wearing a mask when examining patients (4.5/5) and handwashing (4.5/5) were considered most effective. Staff physicians reported more handwashing than nurses and trainees (4.9/5 vs 4.5/5 and 4.5/5, p<0.05) while other measures were reported equally. Those who considered SARS a high public health threat reported higher compliance with handwashing (4.8/5 vs 4.4/5), wearing a mask at all times in the PED (3.9/5 vs 3.2/5), and gloves (3.6/5 vs 2.9/5) (p<0.05), but not eye protection (3.4/5 vs 3.0/5), gown use (4.9/5 vs 4.7/5), or wearing a mask when examining patients (5.0/5 vs 4.8/5) (p=NS). Staff who considered combined infection control measures effective in protecting patients and health care workers did not report increased compliance (p=NS). PED staff perceived some infection control measures to be more effective than others in protecting against the spread of SARS, and perceptions differed among staff physicians, nurses, and trainees. Eye protection was perceived as only moderately effective in protecting against the spread of SARS and reported compliance was relatively poor among PED staff. Concern of SARS as a public health threat rather than perceived effectiveness of infection control measures appears to have a greater impact on compliance.