Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Crit Care Med. Jun 9, 2023; 12(3): 176-187
Published online Jun 9, 2023. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v12.i3.176
Knowledge and awareness of infection control practices among nursing professionals: A cross-sectional survey from South Asia and the Middle East
Kanwalpreet Sodhi, Gunjan Chanchalani, Muktanjali Arya, Gentle S Shrestha, Juhi N Chandwani, Manender Kumar, Monika G Kansal, Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, Anushka D Mudalige, Ashraf Al Tayar, Bassam Mansour, Hasan M Saeed, Madiha Hashmi, Mitul Das, Nehad N Al Shirawi, Ranjan Mathias, Wagih O Ahmed, Amandeep Sharma, Diptimala Agarwal, Prashant Nasa
Kanwalpreet Sodhi, Department of Critical Care, Deep Hospital, Ludhiana 141001, Punjab, India
Gunjan Chanchalani, Critical Care Medicine, Somaiya Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai 400001, Maharashtra, India
Muktanjali Arya, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Deep Hospital, Ludhiana 141001, India
Gentle S Shrestha, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal
Juhi N Chandwani, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Royal Hospital, Muscat 112, Oman
Manender Kumar, Department of Cardiac Anaesthesia, Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana 141002, Punjab, India
Monika G Kansal, Intensive Care Medicine, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Singapore 609606, Singapore
Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, Intensive Care Unit, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Anushka D Mudalige, Intensive Care Unit, Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama 11010, Sri Lanka
Ashraf Al Tayar, Intensive Care Unit and Respiratory Therapy Department, Security Forces Hospital, Damman 34223, Saudi Arabia
Bassam Mansour, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Zahraa Hospital-University Medical Center, Beirut 1007, Lebanon
Bassam Mansour, Pulmonary Division, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Beirut 1007, Lebanon
Hasan M Saeed, Department of Critical Care, Salmaniyah Medical Complex, Manama 323, Bahrain
Madiha Hashmi, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ziauddin University, Karachi 75530, Pakistan
Mitul Das, Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Swasti Hospital, Rangia 781354, India
Nehad N Al Shirawi, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Al Fujairah Hospital, Fujairah 0000, United Arab Emirates
Ranjan Mathias, Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 974, Qatar
Wagih O Ahmed, Intensive Care Unit, Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Buraidah 52211, Saudi Arabia
Amandeep Sharma, Department of Nursing, Deep Hospital, Ludhiana 141001, India
Diptimala Agarwal, Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Shantived Institute of Medical Sciences, Agra 282007, India
Prashant Nasa, Department of Critical Care Medicine, NMC Specialty Hospital, Dubai 7832, United Arab Emirates
Prashant Nasa, Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Al Ain 15551, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Author contributions: Nasa P, Sodhi K, Arya M, Chanchalani G participated in the acquisition, and interpretation of the data and contributed equally to this work; Sodhi K designed the research and drafted the initial manuscript; Sodhi K and Nasa P, analyzed the data; Nasa P, Arya M, Chanchalani G, Shrestha G, Chandwani J, Kumar M, Kansal MG, Ashrafuzzaman M, Mudalige AD, Al Tayar A, Mansour B, Saeed HM, Hashmi M, Das M, Al Shirawi NN, Mathias R, Ahmed WO, Sharma A, Agarwal D performed the research, were involved in the recruitment of participants from their respective countries, revised the article critically for important intellectual content.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee (DHEC-2057/2022) of the institute of the principal investigator (KS) and exempted from other participating hospitals, as only healthcare professionals participated in the survey.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, provided informed written consent prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: GPC reports receiving honorarium for advisory and consultancy services from Pneumocare Health Pvt Ltd. PN reports speaker honorarium from Tabuk Pharmaceuticals and MSD Pharmaceuticals. All other authors declare no competing interest in relation to the contents of this manuscript.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Prashant Nasa, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Critical Care Medicine, NMC Specialty Hospital, Amman Street, Dubai 7832, United Arab Emirates. dr.prashantnasa@hotmail.com
Received: April 14, 2023
Peer-review started: April 14, 2023
First decision: May 9, 2023
Revised: May 15, 2023
Accepted: May 31, 2023
Article in press: May 31, 2023
Published online: June 9, 2023
Processing time: 54 Days and 17.6 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) pose a significant threat to patients in hospitals, particularly in intensive care units (ICU). Despite efforts to prevent and control HAI, rates of device-associated (DA)-HAI in ICUs of developing countries remain higher than those in developed nations. Compliance with infection prevention and control (IPC) practices is crucial, and nurses play a key role due to their frequent contact with patients.

Research motivation

The lack of knowledge and awareness among healthcare workers about IPC practices, as well as discrepancies in applying this knowledge, have been linked to poor healthcare outcomes, especially in developing countries. ICU nurses' knowledge and awareness are integral to an effective IPC program. However, there is a lack of literature comparing the knowledge of ICU nurses across South Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Research objectives

The current study aims to analyse the knowledge of ICU nurses regarding various aspects of IPC practices across countries in South Asia and the Middle East.

Research methods

The study conducted an online-based, cross-sectional survey using a multiple-choice questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed and validated by a 20-member steering committee comprising critical care physicians, infection control professionals, microbiologists, and nursing administrators. The survey was distributed to full-time ICU nurses in participating hospitals. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and linear regression.

Research results

A total of 1333 nurses from 13 countries participated in the study. The average knowledge score was 72.8%, with 71.4% of respondents categorized as having above-average or proficient knowledge. Factors such as higher country income status, private hospital setting, and greater nursing experience were associated with better knowledge. Teaching hospitals and public hospitals showed lower knowledge levels.

Research conclusions

The study revealed significant variation in knowledge levels among ICU nurses across South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Factors such as country income status, hospital type, teaching status, and nursing experience were associated with knowledge differences. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and training programs to improve IPC knowledge and practices, particularly in public and teaching hospitals.

Research perspectives

Future research should focus on developing comprehensive training programs and policies to enhance IPC knowledge and compliance among ICU nurses in South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Comparative studies between different hospital settings and income groups can provide valuable insights into the factors influencing IPC practices and outcomes. Additionally, exploring the impact of improved IPC knowledge on healthcare delivery outcomes can further strengthen the evidence base for effective infection control strategies.