Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding Standard and Isolation Precautions among Vietnamese Health Care Workers: a Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) has now become a global medical challenge. At any time, more than 1.4 million people worldwide acquire infectious complications in hospitals [1]. Rosenthal [2] reported the rates of device-associated infections ranging from 8.2 to 16.1 per 1,000 device-exposed-days in developing countries-at least 3 to 5 times higher than international standards. In a recent study at some Vietnamese hospitals, a crude overall HAI rate was of 7.8% [3]. HAIs not only constitute an importance cause of morbidity, mortality, prolonged stay and economic burden but also the appearance of increased antibiotic uses and multidrug-resistant microorganisms [4,5]. Abundant literatures are consistent with the notion of HAIs could be prevented by standard and isolation precautions [4,6]. However, many prior studies suggested that Health Care Workers (HCWs) did not strictly follow these practices [4,7,8]. Inadequate knowledge of most HCWs and their senior managers about recommended infection control precautions could explain why infection control activities are often carried out with poor results in health care settings. In Vietnam, most studies in infection control field focused on HAI magnitude. To date, there has been no published report on knowledge of attitude toward and practices of infection control and prevention among Vietnamese HCWs. The objectives of this cross-sectional survey were to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding standard and isolation precautions among HCWs of Vietnamese hospitals. Methods Setting and sampling Participating hospitals for this cross-sectional survey were selected from various districts, provincial and national facilities that provide clinical services across Vietnam during 2008 to 2009. We aimed to cover 5% of total beds from general hospitals by using stratified random sampling technique so that it adequately represents national, provincial and district level hospitals. Based on the number of beds in the general hospitals and their willingness to participate in the survey, a total of 36 general hospitals were included in this survey. We randomly selected 2 hospitals from 18 national level hospitals, 18 from 177 provincial level hospitals and 16 from 128 district level hospitals national. We recruited Health Care Workers (HCWs) from all clinical wards of selected hospitals. 1 representative physician, nurse and nursing assistant from Abstract Introduction: Standard and isolation precautions may prevent healthcare-associated infections, which have been associated with poor clinical outcomes, increased medical costs and depletion of available infection prevention and control resources. Few published articles have included data about knowledge of attitude, toward the practices of infection control and prevention in developing countries.