This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Fewer than one in five nurses fully comply with standard precautions
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Recent findings published in the American Journal of Infection Control showed that fewer than one in five nurses fully complied with standard precautions to reduce bloodborne pathogen transmission.
“Exposure to blood and body fluids represents a significant and daily occupational risk for health care workers, including doctors and nurses,” Donna Powers, DNP, RN, at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, told Infectious Disease News. “Currently, the most effective means of preventing bloodborne pathogen transmission in health care settings is through strict adherence to standard precautions.”
Donna Powers
Many international self-reporting studies have previously described poor standard precaution (SP) compliance among health care workers, the researchers wrote. SPs include:
- providing care in consideration that patients may be contagious;
- washing hands after removing gloves;
- avoiding to place foreign objects on hands;
- wearing gloves when exposing hands to body fluids;
- avoiding to recap needles;
- avoiding to disassemble used needles from a syringe;
- using a face mask when exposed to air-transmitted pathogens;
- washing hands after provision of care; and
- discarding sharp materials into sharps containers.
Powers and colleagues surveyed 231 registered nurses who worked in ambulatory care settings. The survey measured their self-reported compliance to these nine SPs, their knowledge of hepatitis C virus and perceived barriers to SP use.
The researchers found that only 17.4% of nurses reported compliance with all nine SPs. Ninety-two percent reported always wearing gloves, 70% reported always using a face mask, and more than 16% reported that they “seldom” avoid placing foreign objects on their hands. Nurses scored an average of 81% on the HCV knowledge test. In addition, SP noncompliance was significantly associated with the nurses’ susceptibility to HCV (P = .05) as well as barriers to SP use (P = .005).
In fact, the researchers wrote, this self-reported data might overestimate compliance, as the rates reported in the study remained higher than those found in literature.
“Despite widely published, accessible information regarding infection control guidelines and the negative health consequences of noncompliance with the guidelines, significant issues remain around the use of standard precautions,” Powers said. “The results of this study reveal that rings and artificial fingernails need to be addressed and stricter enforcement of policy must take place so that nurse managers, educators, and infection control staff can develop educational and monitoring programs aimed at problem areas to increase the use of all SP behaviors.” – by Will Offit
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts