ABSTRACT
Introduction: Healthcare workers have lost their lives in significant numbers in the discharge of their duties as a result of a breach in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) procedures. The increasing incidence of emerging and re-emerging diseases complicates this burden. Adequate IPC includes administrative, environmental and personal protective control measures. This study assessed the knowledge, determinants and compliance to IPC among primary healthcare workers in Enugu Metropolis. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 300 eligible Health Care Workers in Primary Health Care facilities. Analyses were done using IBM-SPSS version 23. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of UNTH Enugu. Results: The majority of the respondents were Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) or Community Health Officers (CHOs) and nurses 122 (40.7%), 197(65.7%) were female; with a mean age of 39.86 ± 9.62 years. Only 254(84.7%) of the respondents had previous IPC training and 82(27.3%) of them had good knowledge of IPC. Needle-stick injury was identified as a source of occupational exposure to infections amongst 185(61.7%). A majority, 244(81.3%) could not correctly identify all the moments of hand washing. Conclusion: The demonstrated poor level of knowledge and compliance to IPC demands more research to unravel this existing gap. However, these conditions can be improved by training the workers on IPC.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lassa fever outbreaks are common in Nigeria. The study aimed to assess knowledge, misperception, preparedness and barriers towards Lassa fever among health care workers (HCWs) in a tertiary hospital in Enugu. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study among 400 HCWs of a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. RESULTS: The study showed that 56.5% had fair knowledge while 42.0% and 1.5% had poor and good knowledge, respectively. Over 84% had good risk perception of acquiring Lassa fever while 15.8% had poor risk perception. Only 13% received training on emergency preparedness while 90.3% desired this training. Associations between occupation and knowledge were significant. Barriers to Lassa fever control were non-availability of infection control tools, lack of training on preparedness, absence of local laboratory, and non-availability of ribavirin. CONCLUSION: The study showed poor level of preparedness for Lassa fever and recommended routine training of HCWs on emergency preparedness.