ASSESSMENT OF NURSES' KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES REGARDING NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION CONTROL MEASURES AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN MARDAN, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections are a global challenge in patient safety. They are associated with a longer hospital stay, more treatment expenses, and death. Nurses have a vital part to play in preventing HAIs and help reduce patient risk and healthcare quality, by taking a strict approach to infection control.

Objective: To evaluate knowledge and practices of the nurses about Nosocomial Infection Control Measures at Tertiary Care Hospital, Mardan, KP Pakistan.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan. The sample size consisted of 141 Nurses with BSN, Post RN, General Nursing Degree working in Medical, Surgical and Intensive care Units in the selected hospital who were willing to participate and were selected by convenience sampling technique. The exclusion criteria were the Nursing Students and Adopted questionnaire was used to collect the data; SPSS version 26 was used for analysis of data, while frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variables. The study was conducted in an ethical manner.

Results: A total of 141 participants were included in the study, with 56% males and 44% females. Most participants were unmarried (64.5%) and had attended a workshop on infection prevention and control (66.7%). The majority (83.7%) had 1–5 years of experience, while 14.9% had 6–10 years and 1.4% had >10 years. Most participants were from the medical department (62.4%), followed by the surgical department (19.9%) and ICU (17.7%).  In Most participants (89.4%) had good knowledge, while 10.6% had average knowledge. 69.5% Nurses demonstrated good practice, while 30.5% had average practice levels. 

Conclusion: Based on the findings, most nurses demonstrated fair Knowledge and Practices for controlling the nosocomial infection. However, further improvement is needed in infection prevention practices. Regular education, training, and in-service refresher programs are recommended to enhance nurses' knowledge and compliance with infection control measures. Strengthening adherence to standard infection prevention protocols and continuous monitoring can lower the risk of healthcare-associated infections and enhance patient safety.