An Assessment of the Level of Knowledge and Compliance with Infection Prevention and Control Standards Among Nurses in the Northern Regional Hospital

Abstract

Background: Nosocomial infections are associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized clients. They also predispose health care workers to an increased risk of infections. However, information on knowledge of infection prevention and control is scarce in Northern Ghana. Therefore, the objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and compliance of infection prevention and control practices among nurses at the Northern Regional Hospital Tamale, Ghana. Methods: The study was cross-sectional in design. Also, the data were gathered from randomly selected 268 nurses. In collecting the data, self-administered questionnaires were used. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS V. 21. Results: From the results, the majority (60.5%) of the respondents had high IPC knowledge, 25.8% had moderate IPC knowledge level, and only 13.8% had low IPC knowledge level. The findings on IPC compliance showed that the majority (77.6%) of the respondents had a low IPC compliance level, 19.8% had a moderate IPC compliance level, and only 2.6% had a high IPC compliance level. Conclusion: In conclusion, most of the respondents had good knowledge of the IPC guidelines in the hospital. The present results may be useful in the formulation of policies for improved infection prevention at health facilities. We recommend that hospital authorities should intensify compliance with IPC guidelines.