Factors Affecting the Compliance with Standard Infection Prevention Precaution among Community Health Practitioners in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Standard infection prevention precautions are measures taken to protect healthcare providers and patients. The research aimed at investigating factors affecting community health practitioners’ compliance with standard infection prevention precautions in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Three hundred and fifty-four community health practitioners consented and were recruited through multistage sample procedure, data was collected using a questionnaire, key informant interviews, and three focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed with descriptive statistics with a criterion mean set at 2.5 and 2.0, and inferential statistics of multiple linear regression with 95% confidence interval using SPSS version 21. Findings indicated that community health practitioners in Bayelsa State are aware of standard infection prevention precaution (x=3.7, 95%), but their compliance level is low (x=2.2, 44%) due to individual factors such as difficulty to feel veins when on PPE (x=2.7), they experience some level of discomfort while performing skills using the PPE (x=2.0), and lack of knowledge on how to use the PPE (x=2.9), work-related factor such as workload due to shortage of staff (x=2.6), and PHC system factors such as unavailability of supervision on the use of standard infection prevention precautions (x=2.8), No accessibility to available PPE (x=2.9) , Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in unavailable (x=3.0), and no training programme on the use of PPE (x=2.9). There was a statistically significant relationship between sex and level of compliance with standard infection prevention precaution (p-value=.000); years of service and level of compliance with standard infection prevention precaution (p-value=.000). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between age and level of compliance with standard infection prevention (p-value=.296); religion and level of compliance with standard infection prevention precaution (p-value=.504), and marital status and level of compliance with standard infection prevention precaution (p-value= .168). There was also a statistically significant relationship between level of awareness and compliance with standard infection prevention precaution (p-value= .000). It is recommended that the government should make PPEs available in the health facilities, PHC Boards should conduct supportive supervision on the use of PPE and community health practitioners should be willing to use the PPE when discharging their duties in primary health care facilities.