Knowledge and Practices Regarding Infection Control Among Nurses in Hospitals Multan, Pakistan

Knowledge and Practices of Infection Prevention Among Nurses

Abstract

Nurses are at the frontline of patient care and play a pivotal role in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), yet institution-level data on their knowledge and practice of infection prevention and control (IPC) remain limited in Pakistan. Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of nurses regarding HAI control measures at a tertiary care hospital in Multan, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 nurses (BSN, diploma, and post-RN) working at Medicare Hospital, Multan, selected through non-probability consecutive sampling; the minimum sample size was calculated using the Raosoft sample size calculator at a 95% confidence level with a 9% margin of error. Data were collected using an adapted, self-administered questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.79 for knowledge items and 0.83 for practice items) covering sociodemographic characteristics, IPC knowledge (9 items) and IPC practice (16 items), and were analyzed descriptively using SPSS version 26. Results: Overall, 98% of nurses demonstrated good knowledge, and 98% demonstrated good practice regarding IPC. Item-level analysis, however, revealed specific gaps: only 58% and 56% of nurses correctly reported using chemical and physical sterilization techniques, respectively; 50% believed gloves could replace hand hygiene; only 30% washed hands without soap when soap was unavailable; and only 60% avoided recapping needles before disposal. Conclusions: Although most nurses demonstrated satisfactory overall knowledge and practice of IPC, specific and clinically important gaps persist in sterilization technique, hand hygiene, and sharps safety. Continuous in-service training, adequate provision of protective and hand hygiene supplies, and structured supervision are recommended to translate knowledge into consistent, safe bedside practice.