Nurses' Compliance with Infection Control Standard Precautions in Dialysis Units

Abstract

Infection is the highest general cause of hospitalization and the second common cause of death between hemodialysis patients (HD).So, stricter measures such as infection control standard precautions are specifically recommended in hemodialysis units to avoid the spread of these infectious microorganisms. Objective: Assess nurses' compliance with infection control standard precautions. Settings: This study was conducted in Abo Homos Hospital (outpatients dialysis unit with 27 beds) and Kafr El Dwar General Hospital (out patients dialysis unit with 32 beds). Subjects: The sample included all staff nurses who were available at the time of data at selected setting. Tools: An Observational Checklist used for data collection included three parts; Part I: includes personal characteristics, Part II: includes items related to infection control standard precautions and Part III: includes items related to environmental design. Results: All staff nurses in Kafr El Dwar General Hospital had a moderate level of compliance to infection control standard precaution in evening shifts. While, 73.3% of them had a moderate level of compliance to infection control standard precautions at morning shifts. All staff nurses in Abo Homos Hospital had a moderate level of compliance to infection control standard precaution in morning shifts. While, only 93.5 % of them had a moderate level of compliance to infection control standard precautions at evening shifts. Conclusion: This study reported that the total nurses' compliance level with infection control standard precaution were moderate at both hospitals. Recommendations: This study suggested an implementation of regular training programs and refreshing courses to nurses to improve their knowledge and provide sufficient facilities and equipment required to maintain good infection control practice in both morning and evening shifts equally.