OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge and practices of infection control measures of health-care professionals during the covid-19 pandemic.
METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study of 177 healthcare professionals of a tertiary care hospital during covid-19 pandemic 2020. A questionnaire was distributed to various categories of hospital staff of different departments. The questionnaire included items on knowledge, self-reported practice, and general items of infection control. Scores were calculated for each item of each individual.
RESULTS
The median knowledge scores were 19 (6 24), 16 (5 24), and 21 (9 24) for physicians, nurses/nursing assistants, and paramedical staff respectively. The median practice scores were 22 (4 30), 22 (7 30), and 25 (8 30) for physicians, nurses/nursing assistants, and paramedical staff respectively. The median general measures scores were 8 (4 11), 9 (6 11), and 9 (7 11) for physicians, nurses/nursing assistants, and paramedical staff respectively. Most of the health-care workers feel a need for a class/training sessions for covid-19 prevention. Self-reported duration of hand hygiene was less than 20 seconds in 16.4% of health-care workers and the leading reasons for non-compliance with a duration of hand hygiene was that they dont have enough time (79.4%), while 20.6% of health-care workers think it interferes with patient care.
CONCLUSION
All categories of healthcare workers showed good to adequate knowledge, self-reported practice, and general measures for infection control. However, the wide range of individual scores shows that the knowledge and practice of healthcare workers are not consistent. Most staff wanted further classes and training, emphasizing the need for constant reassessment and education. Gaps in hand hygiene still need to be addressed.
Key words: Safety precautions; Health-care professionals; Covid-19 pandemic; Hand hygiene, Personal Protective Equipment
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