Abstract:

Standard precautions guidelines are the effective cornerstone W.H.O and CDCC measures of infection control and management used to reduce healthcare associated infections among healthcare workers and patients. However, healthcare workers especially students do not always adhere to them. The purpose of this study was to assess attitudes of student nurses and midwives towards adhering to standard precautions. A quantitative, exploratory study using a self-report questionnaire was carried out on 53 third year diploma nursing and midwifery students at a large teaching hospital in Uganda. Only 81% of the respondents scored at least 80% on the attitude scale that was measured using constructs from Rosenstock's, (1974) Health Belief Model. The construct of perceived benefits (84.9%), self-efficacy (63.5%), and perceived barriers (62.3%) rated higher than the rest. The attitudes towards adherence to standard precautions was lower than expected, revealing a gap that may lead to nonadherence to SP and continued predisposition to nosocomial infections in the hospital setting. Findings had implications for nurse educators, administrators, and practitioners to promote nurse’s attitudes towards adherence to standard precautions.

Keywords: Standard precautions, universal precautions, occupational risks, nosocomial infections, compliance, adherence, health belief model, nurses, healthcare workers.

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