%0 Journal Article
%T Knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers and patients on healthcare associated infections in a regional hospital in Ghana.
%A Ocran I
%A Tagoe DNA
%J Asian Pac J Trop Dis
%V 4
%N 2
%D 2014 Apr
%M 38620187
暂无%R 10.1016/S2222-1808(14)60330-3
%X <B>UNASSIGNED: </B>To assess knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients on healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in the central regional hospital in Ghana.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The purposive random sampling method was used to administer questionnaires over a period of 6 months to HCWs and patients visiting the hospital.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>A total of 210 patients and 71 HCWs were sampled. One hundred and three (53.8%) patients had some knowledge of HAIs with 52 (28.4%) being informed by a HCW compared with 63 (88.7%) of HCWs who were well informed about HAIs. Ninety-seven (46.2%) responding patient always washed their hands while 65 (31%) and 48 (22.9%) respectively sometimes or never washed their hands within or after leaving the hospital. Out of those who washed their hands, 64 (39.5%) always washed with soap while 46 (28.4%) did sometimes. This positively and significantly correlated (r=0.440, P<0.001) with knowledge on HAIs which was however insignificant in HCWs (r=0.025, P=0.835). As many as 48 (67.6%) of HCWs believed that authorities in the hospital had done little to prevent HAIs with the main reason being that the hospital was unclean. Whereas, 112 (53.3%) of patients considered the hospital clean. Twenty-seven (38%) of HCWs had had confirmed HAIs of which cholera made up 12 (16.9%) while 94 (44.8%) of patients believed they had had unconfirmed HAIs.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>Although knowledge on HAIs is adequate, low compliance on preventive techniques resulting in high HAIs indicates attitudinal change is the best means of prevention.