Awareness Regarding Universal Safety Precaution Among Nurses and Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship in a Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Purpose: The lack of awareness regarding the policies and procedures about universal precautions among medical students has resulted in higher accidental exposure to Blood Borne Pathogens and body fluids. So, the current situation needs such type of study which can help in improving awareness about universal precautions among Nurses and Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internships (CRRI), those who constitute a major role in controlling deadly infections. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among nurses of all departments and Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internships (CRRI) between June & July 2020 in a teaching medical hospital near Kancheepuram. A total of 400 nurses who were deputed in various departments and 50 Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internships (CRRIs) were requested to take part in the study. The emails were gathered and formal informed consent was sent along with the standard questionnaire. The questions were prepared in a simple language from a valid & reliable measure. Statistical methods: The data are entered and analysed by MS Excel. A chi square test is carried to test the association between the proportion. Results: The level of knowledge among nurses and CRRIs were similar without a significant difference between them. The awareness regarding universal precaution in nurses with different working experience were also similar without any significant differences. About 95% of CRRIs were aware about the universal precautions. The awareness about universal precaution and practice was not statistically significant when compared between the nurses and CRRIs. Conclusion: The current study findings assure that the nurses and Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRIs) were aware and are knowledgeable about the standard precautions and their importance in reducing infections. The present result shows the infectious committee has a great role in educating the health care workers and provide a better environment for serving the patients.