Shacho Etagegn, Ambelu Argaw, Yilma Daniel
Department of Environmental Health Science and Technology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
Department of Statistics, College of Natural Science, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Dec 18;24(1):1611. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-12094-6.
Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are a common challenge faced in healthcare facilities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Evaluating the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among healthcare personnel regarding HCAI prevention and identifying the relevant factors is important for handling and controlling these infections. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the direct and indirect effects of knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare workers (HCW) towards HCAIs prevention in Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC).
An institutional cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2022. A total of 262 was sampled from 1354 health professionals working in JUMC using the population proportion stratified random sampling method. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to identify the direct and indirect effects of KAP of HCWs on HCAIs.
Of the 262 participants, 55% (n = 144) were nurses and 52.7% were female. The study found that HCW occupational skills (os) had a direct effect on knowledge (k) and attitudes (a) in preventing HCAIs (β = 1.43, P = 0.004, and β = 0.65, P = 0.004). HCWs' practice on HCAIs had an effect (β = -0.79; P = 0.004). HCWs' attitudes toward HCAI preventive practice (p) and knowledge had an effect, p-values P = .002 and P = .003, respectively. Indirect effects revealed that HCWs' attitudes towards preventing HCAIs through practice had an impact (γ = .426, P = .003). HCWs' occupational skills and attitudes towards preventing HCAIs had an effect (γ = .523, P = .002).
The finding indicated that attitude and occupational skills can be improved through practice which finally brings a significant improvement in the knowledge of HCWs about HCAIs prevention. Besides, there were direct effects of occupational skills on the practices of HCAIs prevention. This highlights ongoing training and mentoring of HCWs during practice is essential to enhance HCAIs prevention.
医疗保健相关感染（HCAIs）是医疗机构面临的一个常见挑战，在低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）尤为如此。评估医护人员对预防HCAI的知识、态度和实践（KAP）水平，并确定相关因素，对于处理和控制这些感染至关重要。因此，本研究旨在评估吉马大学医学中心（JUMC）医护人员对预防HCAIs的知识、态度和实践的直接和间接影响。
于2022年3月至4月进行了一项机构横断面研究。采用总体比例分层随机抽样方法，从JUMC工作的1354名卫生专业人员中抽取了262名作为样本。数据通过自填问卷收集。采用结构方程模型（SEM）来确定医护人员的KAP对HCAIs的直接和间接影响。
在262名参与者中，55%（n = 144）是护士，52.7%为女性。研究发现，医护人员的职业技能（os）对预防HCAIs的知识（k）和态度（a）有直接影响（β = 1.43，P = 0.004，β = 0.65，P = 0.004）。医护人员在HCAIs方面的实践有影响（β = -0.79；P = 0.004）。医护人员对HCAI预防实践（p）的态度和知识有影响，p值分别为P = 0.002和P = 0.003。间接影响表明，医护人员通过实践预防HCAIs的态度有影响（γ = 0.426，P = 0.003）。医护人员的职业技能和预防HCAIs的态度有影响（γ = 0.523，P = 0.002）。
研究结果表明，通过实践可以改善态度和职业技能，最终使医护人员对预防HCAIs的知识有显著提高。此外，职业技能对预防HCAIs的实践有直接影响。这突出了在实践过程中对医护人员进行持续培训和指导对于加强HCAIs预防至关重要。
