Effect of training on knowledge, perception and risk reduction regarding infection control among nurses in selected teaching hospitals in Nigeria

Background: Healthcare workers, especially nurses, are at a high risk of infection. By complying with infection control measures, a lot of infections can be prevented. This study examined the effects of a training program on knowledge, perception, and risk reduction regarding infection control among nurses. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design. The samples consisted of 87 participants comprising 42 nurses in the experimental group and 45 nurses in the control group. The instruments used for data collection were a questionnaire on knowledge about infection control and a questionnaire on perception about infection control. Results: Findings showed that the mean (SD) age in the experimental group was 34.92 (8.99) whereas that of the control group was 47.43 (6.60). The mean (SD) years of experience in the experimental group was 10.42 (9.95) years whereas in the control group it was 21.89 (8.72) years. Findings further revealed that 26 participants (62.90%) in the postintervention group had high knowledge level compared to the preintervention where none had high knowledge. A significant difference was observed between the mean perception score on infection control in the experimental and control groups (t = 17.12; p = 0.001). Conclusions: This study has shown that a training program is very effective and that all nurses should be exposed to infection control training to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills with which to fight against the spread of infection in the healthcare setting

Effectiveness of training program on attitude and practice of infection control measures among nurses in two teaching hospitals in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Infection control has become a major concern in the health-care system and health-care workers, particularly nurses are at high risk of infection. This study, therefore, examined the effect of a training program on attitude and practice of infection control among nurses in two tertiary hospitals in Ogun State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 87 participants. The experimental group consisted of 42 registered nurses from Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ogun state, Nigeria, while the control group consisted of 45 registered nurses from Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was attitude toward components of infection control questionnaire (r = 72) and practice of infection control questionnaire (r = 76). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 (SPSS Inc. Chicago IL, USA). Results: Findings showed that the mean age in the experimental group was 34.92 ± 8.9 while the control group was 47.43 ± 6.6. The average years of experience for the experimental group were 10.42 ± 9.9 while that of the control group were 21.89 ± 8.7. Responses on attitude showed that 30 participants (69%) had positive attitude in the experimental group compared to 21 participants (46.7%) in the control group. The mean difference was 4.02. Significant difference was observed between mean attitude score of participants in the experimental group and control group (P = 0.03), between mean practice score (P = 0.001), and between self-reported and observed practices (P = 0.000). Conclusion: The training was effective in improving attitude and practice of infection control. Adequate provision of structured training programs on infection control measures is recommended

Personal dispositions as predictors of student nurses' prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons in Osun State, Nigeria

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is a disease that is stigmatized as a result of its origin and outcome. HIV stigma may occur in the form of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, collectively called HIV stigma mechanism. While studies have shown that student nurses are among persons who stigmatize, little is known about the role of their personal dispositions in the stigma process. Objective: This study aimed to examine the role of personal dispositions on their HIV stigma mechanism against HIV-infected persons. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional descriptive design involving 395 students across Osun State, Nigeria, using a modified Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale instrument. Four personal dispositions (age, study level, HIV knowledge, and perception) serving as the independent variable, were of interest as well as the HIV stigma mechanism (prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination) serving as the dependent variable in this study. Data were analyzed using mean and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean scores of the categorical variables of knowledge about AIDS and perception of HIV-infected persons, measured on scales of 0-9 and 0-15, revealed moderate knowledge about HIV (5.90 ± 1.26) and negative perception (10.61 ± 2.47). For the dependent variables, the mean scores were 17.97 ± 4.07 for prejudice, 13.84 ± 3.34 for stereotyping, and 10.47 ± 3.22 for discrimination, which indicated that student nurses stigmatized HIV-infected patients. However, the core finding of this study revealed that, of all the predictors of HIV stigma mechanism, perception was the most significant. Conclusions: Personal dispositions are contributory factors to the enactment of HIV stigma mechanism. Future planning for intervention studies to reduce HIV stigma among health profession students should take cognizance of this. Keywords: Human immunodeficiency virus, Knowledge, Perception, Personal dispositions, Prejudice, Stereotyping, Stigma mechanism, Student nurse