Department of Pharmacy Practice, SRM College of Pharmacy, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, India.
Department of Microbiology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, India.
J Infect Dev Ctries. 2023 Apr 30;17(4):468-476. doi: 10.3855/jidc.17377.
Healthcare workers are always at higher risk of biological exposure as the healthcare setting is hazardous, and it is impracticable to exclude infection. Poor compliance with standard precautions among healthcare workers is one of the leading causes of healthcare-associated infections. This study analyzed the gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice of infection control among healthcare workers and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, internet, and social media usage on infection control.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st to 31st March 2022 among various healthcare professionals using a self-administered structured questionnaire to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice on infection control. The impact of COVID-19, Internet, and social media usage on infection control practices was also analyzed.
Among 382 healthcare workers who participated in the study, 89.4% of the participants had good knowledge, 55.26% had a neutral attitude, and all showed good practice levels on infection control. Similarly, the result showed that internet and social media usage during COVID-19 had significantly enhanced the knowledge, attitude, and practice on infection control.
Healthcare professionals must be frequently updated on infection control guidelines and routine training programs. The hospital's adherence to the Joint Commission International (JCI) guidelines reduces the risk of healthcare-associated infections. As observed in this study, due to the prominent influence of social media and the internet, these platforms can be exploited to provide training and awareness to healthcare professionals and the public.
由于医疗环境具有危害性，医护人员始终面临更高的生物暴露风险，因此无法完全排除感染的可能性。医护人员对标准预防措施的遵守情况不佳是导致医源性感染的主要原因之一。本研究分析了医护人员在感染控制方面的知识、态度和实践方面的差距，以及 COVID-19 大流行、互联网和社交媒体使用对感染控制的影响。
本项于 2022 年 3 月 1 日至 31 日期间，通过横断面研究在各类医护人员中开展，使用自填式结构化问卷评估感染控制方面的知识、态度和实践。还分析了 COVID-19、互联网和社交媒体使用对感染控制实践的影响。
在参与研究的 382 名医护人员中，89.4%的参与者具有良好的知识水平，55.26%的参与者持中立态度，所有参与者在感染控制方面均表现出良好的实践水平。同样，结果表明 COVID-19 期间互联网和社交媒体的使用显著增强了感染控制方面的知识、态度和实践。
必须定期向医护人员更新感染控制指南和常规培训计划。医院遵循国际联合委员会（JCI）的指南可降低医源性感染的风险。正如本研究观察到的那样，由于社交媒体和互联网的显著影响，这些平台可用于为医护人员和公众提供培训和意识。
