Adherence to infection prevention and control practices among critical care staff at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Kenya

Abstract

Compliance with infection prevention and control (IPC) practices is important for the provision of safe, quality, and efficient healthcare services. This study assessed healthcare worker (HCW) compliance with IPC practices and associated factors at the Kenyatta National Hospital intensive care units. The hospital-based cross-sectional study involved HCWs who were directly involved with patient care across the Hospital’s ICUs. These included doctors (consultants, registrars, and medical officers), nurses, clinical officers, and allied professionals. A total of 189 providers were recruited using consecutive sampling, with care taken to include all key cadres. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire uploaded on Google Forms. Information was collected on compliance levels and the organizational and contextual influences, and analysis was done using SPSS version 28. Of the total respondents, 62% were aged between 31- 40 years, 63% were female, 62% were bedside nurses, and 98% had received some form of training on IPC, out of whom 91% said the training was conducted as part of in-service training by the Hospital. The findings established that 47.1% had optimal overall compliance with standard IPC practices. As for compliance with individual IPC components, 54.5% were optimally compliant with the use of PPEs, 40.2% were optimally compliant with the safe disposal of sharps, and 88.9% were optimally compliant with the appropriate disposal of waste. Adequate management support and work safety climate, absence of job hindrances, and education and training of HCWs on standard IPC practices, were the organizational and environmental factors that were found to have a significant correlation with adherence to standard IPC practices. Adequate knowledge and a good attitude toward IPC practices were the individual factors that were associated with adherence to standard IPC practices. In conclusion, a multifaceted approach encompassing both organizational-level and individual-level strategies should be employed in improving IPC compliance among HCWs.