Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nursing Staff for Nosocomial Infections

Introduction: Nosocomial infections (ΝΙ) are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The relevant guidelines aim to prevent NI and to improve the compliance of healthcare professionals, which remains insufficient. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the nursing staff (NS) and to investigate barriers to implementing infection prevention and control guidelines in Greek NICUs. Method: A pilot study was conducted in three NICUs of two public hospitals in Athens, with a convenience sample of 50 NS. A self-administered structured questionnaire of 40 questions was used (open-closed, or Likert-style 1-5). Statistical analysis was performed with the Stata 12.1. Results: The response rate was 56.82%. Only 30.0% of the respondents reported using entirely sterile equipment (coat, gloves, mask) during central catheter insertion, although the majority knew that all equipment that comes into direct contact with the neonate should be sterile. The recommended duration of hand washing was known by 72.0%, while 94.0% applied hand hygiene adequately. Only 54.0% of the NS stated that they changed gloves as soon as they become soiled or torn, between processes and between care of different newborns. The majority of the sample believed that finger rings (92.0%), artificial nails (88.0%) or long nails (86.0%) contribute to the transmission of nosocomial infections, and that the policy of restricting hand jewelry to a wedding ring (84.0%), removing artificial nails (82.0%) and keeping fingernails short (88.0%) contribute to infection prevention. The most frequently mentioned obstacles to infection control implementation practices were the shortage of necessary materials (i.e., supply) (70.0%) and secondly the shortage of time (46.0%). Conclusions: There is a discrepancy between knowledge and attitudes in relation to everyday clinical practice in the NICU. There is a need for improvement in the knowledge, attitudes and practices of NICU nursing personnel to conform with NI prevention guidelines.

Category: Volume 54, N 2
Hits: 670 Hits
Created Date: 15-06-2015
Authors: Christina Nanou , Ioanna Pavlopoulou , Konstantinos Tsoumakas , Irene Zorou , Georgios Saroglou