Publications

In low- and middle-income hospital settings, hospital-acquired infections can occur among patients or arise amonghospital staff, posing a significant challenge. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practicesrelated to preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and the associated factors among healthcare workers atFort Portal Regional Referral Hospital in Kabarole district, western Uganda. Conducted between January andMarch 2011, this hospital-based cross-sectional study employed simple random sampling to select 236 participants,achieving a 100% response rate. Structured self-administered questionnaires were utilized for data collection.Descriptive analysis was employed to present the main findings, revealing that 90% of participants had goodknowledge and 57.2% held positive attitudes towards HAI prevention. However, only 36% demonstrated goodpractices in this regard, indicating suboptimal scores. Significant associations were found between levels of educationand work experience and attitudes and practices related to HAI prevention (P value <0.005). Despite respondentsexhibiting good knowledge and positive attitudes towards HAI prevention, this did not consistently translate intoappropriate practices. Further, education level and work experience emerged as independent risk factors influencingattitudes and practices concerning HAI prevention. To bridge this gap, continuous on-the-job and off-the-jobtraining, coupled with stringent adherence to updated standard operating procedures, are recommended.Keywords: Healthcare workers, HAI prevention, Hospital staff, Hospital settings, Work experience