Healthcare Worker Compliance with Infection Prevention and Control: A Case Study of Sunyani Regional Hospital, Ghana

Abstract

In recent times, hospital-related infection has become a meaningful threat to the lives of both clients and ordinary healthcare workers (HCWs). This study identified factors influencing clinical and non-clinical healthcare worker compliance with infection prevention and control (IPC) at a regional hospital in Ghana. The study, guided by Cooper’s Reciprocal Safety Culture Model, adopted a quantitative approach, and a cross-sectional design. With confidence level of 95%, a predetermined sample size of 550 participants was randomly selected from a sample frame of 1400 HCWs. Data was collected with a questionnaire and analysed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Using frequency tables and percentages, descriptive statistics were used to examine research questions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Mann Whitney U was used to determine gender differences among the categories (objective 6). The study found that Clinical HCWs with IPC were highly compliant (mean score = 3.23, SD 0.95). Barriers to IPC compliance among clinical and non-clinical HCWs included inadequate logistics, staff shortage, time constraints, and difficulty reporting safety concerns to management. In conclusion, it was realized that male and female clinical HCWs were not statistically different regarding IPC compliance; hence, continuous and regular training in IPC is recommended for all cadres of clinical HCWs, regardless of their gender.