CHALLENGES OF COMPLIANCE WITH INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL (IPC)
STANDARD PROCEDURES AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS: A HOSPITAL-BASED CROSS-
SECTIONAL STUDY
Abstract
Introduction: This hospital-based cross-sectional study aimed
to assess the compliance of 251 healthcare workers (HCWs) with Infective
Prevention and Control (IPC) standard procedures. The study addresses
the critical issue of IPC compliance among HCWs, as it plays a pivotal
role in reducing the risk of infectious disease transmission within
healthcare settings. Methodology: Analytical cross-sectional
study was conducted at St. Francis Referral Hospital, involving 251
healthcare workers from different departments including Internal
medicine, Surgery, and Emergency. The Compliance with Standard
Precautions Scale (CSPS) tool developed by WHO was used. Descriptive and
regression analysis was done. A P-value of less than 0.05 indicated
statistical significance. Results: Overall average compliance
with IPCSPs was 54% whereby only 24.7% (62/251) of healthcare workers
had a good compliance. The majority of HCWs (85.3%) reported highest
compliance on proper disposal of used sharp items into sharp boxes and
low compliance rate (11.6%) was on the disposal of the sharp box, sharp
box is only disposed when it is full. Statistical significant were found
between IPCSPs and number of years of working experience, level of
education, profession, IPC training and IPC meeting attendance.
Conclusion: This cross-sectional study has shed light on the
critical challenges faced by healthcare workers in complying with
IPCSPs. Findings revealed a concerning compliance with IPCSPs which is
below the WHO standard and national level standard as well. We therefore
recommend enhancement of IPC training program, IPC awareness campaign,
and more implementational research for IPCSPs compliance.