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Observance of Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention in the COVID-19 Era: A Cross Sectional Study in Six District Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon
Innocent Takougang*, Fabrice Zobel Lekeumo Cheuyem, Emilia Enjema Lyonga, Jonathan Hangi Ndungo and François-Xavier Mbopi-Keou. Observance of Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention in The Covid-19 Era: A Cross Sectional Study in Six District Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2023 - 19(5). AJBSR.MS.ID.002628. DOI:
10.34297/AJBSR.2023.19.002628
Innocent Takougang*, Fabrice Zobel Lekeumo Cheuyem, Emilia Enjema Lyonga, Jonathan Hangi Ndungo and François-Xavier Mbopi-Keou. Observance of Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention in The Covid-19 Era: A Cross Sectional Study in Six District Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2023 - 19(5). AJBSR.MS.ID.002628. DOI:
10.34297/AJBSR.2023.19.002628
Innocent Takougang*, Fabrice Zobel Lekeumo Cheuyem, Emilia Enjema Lyonga, Jonathan Hangi Ndungo and François-Xavier Mbopi-Keou. Observance of Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention in The Covid-19 Era: A Cross Sectional Study in Six District Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2023 - 19(5). AJBSR.MS.ID.002628. DOI:
10.34297/AJBSR.2023.19.002628
Innocent Takougang*, Fabrice Zobel Lekeumo Cheuyem, Emilia Enjema Lyonga, Jonathan Hangi Ndungo and François-Xavier Mbopi-Keou. Observance of Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention in The Covid-19 Era: A Cross Sectional Study in Six District Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2023 - 19(5). AJBSR.MS.ID.002628. DOI:
10.34297/AJBSR.2023.19.002628
Abstract
Introduction: Interest in infection prevention in healthcare facilities has been renewed with the advent of the COVID – 19 pandemic. Accidental exposures to body fluids occurs under work environments that do not meet occupational safety standards. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of observance of standard precautions including adherence to required vaccinations to prevent healthcare related infections. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out from January to April 2022 in six District Hospitals in Yaounde. An auto-administered questionnaire was addressed to consenting healthcare workers. Data were analysed using R statistic version 4.2.3. A p-value < 5% was considered significant. Results: Out of a total of 217 HCW who were enrolled, nearly a quarter (17%) claimed to wash the scalpel blades for reuse. More than half of the participants (53.5%) did not wash their hands after each care. Reasons for not washing hands after each procedure were the perception that the patient care for was risk free (36 %), high workload (35.3 %), distant washing point (20 %). Almost half of HCW (46,5%) experienced a splash during the last 12 month. PPE were always available for only 43.56% of participants. Immunization coverage for COVID-19 was low 44.8 %. Poor vaccine compliance was related to doubts on vaccine content (42 %) and fear of adverse events (39.3 %). Conclusion: Strategies should be implemented to alleviate the AEB burden among healthcare workers and increase compliance with COVID-19 and other vaccines required for healthcare practice.
Keywords
standard precautions; occupational exposure; personal protective equipment; COVID-19; vaccination; Yaounde hospital; cameroon
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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