Health care workers’ performance regarding Infection Control Precautions in Primary Health Care Centers in Makkah

Abstract

Background: Standards precautions are designed to protect staff from risks resulting from exposure to blood and body fluids and to protect patients from potential cross infection. Knowledge of clinical infection control practices is continually growing and changing. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess health care workers’ performance regarding infection control precautions in primary health care centers. Research design: a descriptive analytical design had been used. Subjects: simple random sample of a total of 379 health care workers was recruited from the 1st of February 2022 to the first of August 2022, at selected primary health care centers affiliated to health affairs directorate in Makkah. Tools of data collection: three tools were used to collect data: a structured self- administrated nurses' questionnaire, observational check list, and environmental assessment checklist. Results: the results revealed that 44.6% of the studied health care workers’ had average level of total knowledge, whereas 58.6% of them had incompetent practice regarding infection control precautions. Moreover, there was highly statistically significant positive linear correlation between total nurse`s knowledge about infection control precautions in primary health care centers and their practice at (r = 0.317, and p =0.000). In conclusion, Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that, more than one third of health care workers’ in the current study had average overall knowledge score, while more than one half of them had incompetent practice regarding infection control precautions. A highly statistically significant positive linear correlation between total nurses’ knowledge about infection control precautions in primary health care centers and their practice was pointed up. Recommendations: mandatory regular base educational program must be planned to overcome the weak level of knowledge and updated and the clinical practice regarding infection control standard precautions.