Knowledge of Standard and Isolation Precautions in a Large Teaching Hospital

• Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2005-03, Vol.26 (3), p.298-304
• Main Authors: Sax, Hugo, Perneger, Thomas, Hugonnet, Stéphane, Herrault, Pascale, Chraïti, Marie‐Noëlle, Pittet, Didier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Communicable Diseases - transmission; Disease transmission; Disease Transmission, Infectious - prevention & control; Female; General aspects; Health care; Health care industry; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Occupations - education; Hospitals; Hospitals, Teaching; Humans; Infection control; Infections; Male; Medical personnel; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nurses; Nursing; Opinion leaders; Original Articles; Pathogens; Patient Isolation - standards; Physicians; Planification. Prevention (methods). Intervention. Evaluation; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Questionnaires; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teaching hospitals; Training
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1086/502543

To assess the level of knowledge regarding and attitudes toward standard and isolation precautions among healthcare workers in a hospital. A confidential, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in a random sample of 1500 nurses and 500 physicians in a large teaching hospital. A total of 1,241 questionnaires were returned (response rate, 62%). The median age of respondents was 39 years; 71.9% were women and 21.2% had senior staff status. One-fourth had previously participated in specific training regarding transmission precautions for pathogens conducted by the infection control team. More than half (55.9%) gave correct answers to 10 or more of the 13 knowledge-type questions. The following reasons for noncompliance with guidelines were judged as "very important": lack of knowledge (47%); lack of time (42%); forgetfulness (39%); and lack of means (28%). For physicians and healthcare workers in a senior position, lack of time and lack of means were significantly less important (P < .0005). On multivariate linear regression, knowledge was independently associated with exposure to training sessions (coefficient, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.08 to 0.57; P = .009) and less professional experience (coefficient per increasing professional experience, -0.024; 95% confidence interval, -0.035 to -0.012; P < .0005). Despite a training effort targeting opinion leaders, knowledge of transmission precautions for pathogens remained insufficient. Nevertheless, specific training proved to be the major determinant of "good knowledge".