Kabale School of Medicine (KABSOM)

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Browsing Kabale School of Medicine (KABSOM) by Subject "Assessment"

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    Assessment of Hand-Hygiene Practices Among Health Care Workers at Kisoro Hospital, Kisoro District.
    (2019) Nsenga, Alex
    According to WHO, (2017), annual report, 70% of the hospital acquired infections can be averted by the practice of hand hygiene (HH) which is a systematic procedure of cleansing hands using soap and water or using antiseptic hand rub for removal of transient microorganism from hands. Purpose of the study: The main purpose of the study was to assess the hand hygiene practices among health care workers at Kisoro hospital in Kisoro District in order to contribute to the control of poor hygiene related diseases. Specific objectives of the study were; to examine the level of knowledge of health workers on hand-hygiene practice, to determine the level of adherence to hand-hygiene practice among health workers and to identify key barriers m implementation of hand-hygiene practice among health workers at Kisoro hospital in Kisoro District. Study design: The study employed a cross-sectional, descriptive study design usmg both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Findings of the study: A total of 106 health care workers were involved in the study as study respondents. The study findings revealed that 91(85.8%) of the respondents had good knowledge about hand hygiene. 83 (96.7%) of the respondents had high awareness in respect to practice of hand washing before touching a patient and lowest awareness in respect to practice of hand hygiene after exposure to immediate surroundings of a patient. Regarding knowledge on commonly used agents in hand hygiene, the study revealed that the biggest number of respondents was using water and soap 63(60%) for hand hygiene. Level of adherence to hand hygiene practices was at 57%. However, 91(85.8%) of the respondents reported lack of continuous flow of water as the major barrier hindering health care workers from practicing hand hygiene. Conclusion: The study concluded that most of the health workers know the meaning of hand hygiene and five moments of hand hygiene but the actual practice of hand hygiene is still a big challenge Recommendation: The study recommended that, refresher trainings/CMEs' for health care workers on hand hygiene including socio-behavioral change communication should be organized by the Ministry of health through the District health department to increase awareness among health care workers about the importance of hand hygiene and change a negative attitude of health care workers towards hand hygiene practice. The study also recommended that; there is need for proper quantification of hand hygiene items such as hand sanitizers, gloves, soap by the hospital management in order to avoid stock outs and while ordering for hospital supplies such items should be given priority since hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to reduce the prevalence of hospital acquired infections. Keywords: Assessment, Hand-Hygiene Practices, Health Care Workers, Hospital, Kisoro District.
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    Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Health Workers Towards Hepatitis B Virus Infection Prevention in Health Centers of Bushenyi District.
    (Kabale University, 2018) Byamukama, Julius
    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the health setting is a global public health problem. The risk of occupational exposure to HBV among healthcare workers is a major concern, especially among students in health professions and health workers in health centers. In Uganda Bushenyi district, very little is known about the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of health workers in the health centers towards Hepatitis B virus prevention. Thus, the purpose of this study. Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of health workers in the health centers towards Hepatitis B virus infection prevention. A cross-sectional study technique was used from April 2018 to June 2018 and a total of 246 healthcare professionals from health centers of Bushenyi district were included in the study using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version 20, which presented tables and charts in this report. The majority of the study participants, (>80 %) had a piece of adequate knowledge of risk factors for HBV, its mode of transmission, and prevention. 83.3 % of participants had a positive attitude. following infection control guidelines, and 201 (81.7 %) respondents believe that all healthcare workers should take the HBV vaccine. However, only 5 (2 %) health workers had completed the three doses schedule of HBV vaccination. Whereas, a significant number of health workers, 66 (26.8 %), had been exposed to blood/body fluid through needle stick injuries at least once since they started their duties in the health facility. Despite the wide professional background of the study, my results showed that overall knowledge regarding HBV prevention, and its mode of transmission was high at (86.2 %). Most respondents knew that exposure to infected blood or body fluid, contaminated needles, contact with non-intact skin, or unsafe sexual contacts were risk factors for HBV infection. This finding was consistent with the previous study from Cameroon that reported a good knowledge of the study participants on HBV infection. However, it was higher than the 56.2 % knowledge levels at Haramaya University Ethiopia, 59 % from Iraq, and 14.5 % from Lao DPR. Nevertheless, I found that a relatively lower proportion of health workers knew that HBV has treatments (52.4 %) and post-exposure prophylaxis (67.1 %). This indicates that there is a need to alleviate the gaps as these might affect behaviors in seeking medical attention. In conclusion, my study found that health workers are at a very high risk of contracting HBV infection during their training owing to the low HBV vaccine uptake rate and high rate of accidental exposure to blood. Thus, we recommend that all health workers in the health centers should be vaccinated before they enter into health professional practices.