Sandra A. Darfour-Oduro, co-authored an article titled "Factors influencing healthcare workers’ perceived compliance with infection prevention and control standards, North Bank East region, The Gambia, a cross-sectional study."
Adhering to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) standards is very important in healthcare. Studies across African countries show varying levels of understanding and acceptance of IPC practices. Sandra A. Darfour-Oduro, assistant professor of public health studies, worked with collaborators from the Ministry of Health of The Gambia, University of The Gambia and the University of Ghana, to evaluate Health Care Workers’ (HCWs) knowledge, attitude, perceived compliance, as well as factors that influence perceived IPC compliance among HCWs in the North Bank East region of the Gambia.
The authors employed an analytic cross-sectional study, and used a multistage sampling technique to enroll 218 healthcare workers in the study. The HCWs included in the study were medical doctors, nurses, public health officers, laboratory personnel, orderlies, dental staff, physiotherapists, anesthetists and laundry workers.
The authors found that the level of knowledge about IPC was high, but HCWs’ perceived compliance with IPC was low. Good attitude of HCWs, accessibility of Personal Protective Equipment and monitoring of IPC practice were independently associated with HCWs’ perceived compliance with IPC standards.
The authors recommend the prioritization of educational campaigns, regular training to reinforce HCW knowledge, ensure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) accessibility and implement ongoing IPC practice monitoring among healthcare workers.