STANDARD PRECAUTIONS AND ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS: AUDIT ON THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Creators: name: G. BRAHIMI
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Audit, Standard Precautions, Additional Precautions. Multi-Resistant Bacteria, Accidental Exposure to Blood.

description: Abstract

Introduction Preventing the transmission of microorganisms in healthcare settings is a major challenge that relies on shared individual foundations and collective will. The concerning epidemiology of multi-resistant bacteria (MRB) in certain departments (such as intensive care units, hemodialysis units, etc.), the emergence of potentially epidemic infectious phenomena, and the immunological status of patients (patients under immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy) necessitate the implementation of standard precautions (SP) and sometimes additional precautions (AP) aimed at protecting both healthcare workers and patients. To date, SP and AP are not fully assimilated by healthcare personnel, and their essential implementation remains imperfect. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare professionals regarding standard precautions and additional precautions. Materials and methods: This study is an audit of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare personnel working in the medical intensive care unit, emergency department, hematology department, and nephrology department of CHU Béni Messous, using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. The audit was conducted from February 14th to March 10th, 2023. Data entry and analysis were performed using EPI INFO software. Results: A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed among the 4 departments included in the audit. The sex ratio is 0.5, and the average length of service is 9.66 ± 7.66 years. 56% of the surveyed personnel hold the rank of Public Health Nurse, 33% are nursing assistants, and 11% are nursing students. 82.2% of the surveyed personnel knew that standard precautions aim to protect both healthcare workers and patients. 71.1% of healthcare workers believe that standard precautions should apply to all patients, while 25.6% think they should only be applied to patients carrying multi-resistant bacteria. Different categories recognize hand hygiene (HH) as the most effective measure to limit the transmission of infectious agents in 64% of cases, and glove use in 27% of cases, but they report that they perform hand rubbing with alcohol-based solutions before placing a Huber needle in only 17.8% of cases and before a venous sampling in 24.4% of cases. Regarding the management of healthcare waste, the surveyed personnel report working with the sharp object puncture-resistant container nearby in 40% of cases, but they never check the fill level before the procedure in 20% of cases. Additional precautions are not always applied to patients in aplasia; personalized individual equipment (thermometer, blood pressure cuff, stethoscope, etc.) is not provided in 58.1% of cases, and hand rubbing with alcohol-based solutions at the entrance of the room is not performed in 24.4% of cases. Half of the personnel are unfamiliar with the protocol for managing Accidental Exposure to Blood (AEB). Conclusion: This analysis highlighted an inadequacy in the level of general knowledge of standard and additional precautions. The level of qualification of personnel is an important factor in the management and control of infectious risk.