Nurses’ knowledge and practices regarding healthcare associated infections control measures in King Saalman bin Abdul-Aziz Medical City at Madinah City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), also known as nosocomial infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Also, the nurses play a vital role to prevent and control the spread of HAIs. Aim: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of nurses regarding HAIs control measures in King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Medical City (KSAMC) at Madinah City. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study, the total population of registered nurses is 1955 in KSAMC, although the target sample size is 322. Self-report questionnaires that consisted of 45 items were distributed by Google Forms among registered nurses working at KSAMC. The data collected was analyzed by Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: The study found that most participants were female (79.5%), married (60.2%), had bachelor’s degrees (62.1%), and had work experience between 1 and 5 years (28%). Most nurses worked in maternity and children’s hospitals (51.2%), while emergency units (18%) were the most specialty departments. In addition, (58.4%) of nurses had a fair understanding of HAIs control measures. Among the nurses, 9 out of 10 (94.1%) had good knowledge of HH. In addition, the nurse’s practices regarding HAIs control measures (63.7%) were fair. There was a positive significant correlation observed between the knowledge and practices scores (r = 0.336). Conclusion and recommendations: This study’s findings revealed that nurse’s knowledge and practices of HAIs infection control measures had fair knowledge and fair practices. A nurse needs constant reminders of infection control measures by attending regular and continuous health education and seminars related to preventing and controlling HAIs.