Knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers and patients on healthcare associated infections in a regional hospital in Ghana.

OBJECTIVE

To assess knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients on healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in the central regional hospital in Ghana.

METHODS

The purposive random sampling method was used to administer questionnaires over a period of 6 months to HCWs and patients visiting the hospital.

RESULTS

A total of 210 patients and 71 HCWs were sampled. One hundred and three (53.8%) patients had some knowledge of HAIs with 52 (28.4%) being informed by a HCW compared with 63 (88.7%) of HCWs who were well informed about HAIs. Ninety-seven (46.2%) responding patient always washed their hands while 65 (31%) and 48 (22.9%) respectively sometimes or never washed their hands within or after leaving the hospital. Out of those who washed their hands, 64 (39.5%) always washed with soap while 46 (28.4%) did sometimes. This positively and significantly correlated (r=0.440, <0.001) with knowledge on HAIs which was however insignificant in HCWs (r=0.025, =0.835). As many as 48 (67.6%) of HCWs believed that authorities in the hospital had done little to prevent HAIs with the main reason being that the hospital was unclean. Whereas, 112 (53.3%) of patients considered the hospital clean. Twenty-seven (38%) of HCWs had had confirmed HAIs of which cholera made up 12 (16.9%) while 94 (44.8%) of patients believed they had had unconfirmed HAIs.

CONCLUSIONS

Although knowledge on HAIs is adequate, low compliance on preventive techniques resulting in high HAIs indicates attitudinal change is the best means of prevention.