Publications

Unclean hands are the most common vehicle for the transmission of health careassociated infections (HCAIs) between patients and the health care environment. Thisstudy sought to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and self-reported practices (KAP)of Medical Students at Kampala International University – Western Campus and TeachingHospital, Bushenyi District in Western Uganda. A quantitative, descriptive study using apre-tested self-administered questionnaire was conducted among medical students inthe clinical and biomedical sections at KIU -WC. Data collection was carried out betweenAugust and September 2021. Questionnaire tools were checked for their accuracy anddata completeness, then data was coded and entered into Epi info version 7, thenexported into SPSS version 22.0 for analysis, KAP scores were summarized into means,standard deviations and percentages. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used todetermine association between KAP scores and selected independent variables (gender,age, medical school section and years in medical school). There were 324 respondents,majority were females 74.4%, aged between 20 – 25 years 38.0%, had spent 1 – 2 years inmedical school 36.7% and those in the Biomedical section of medical school 52.5%.Majority had moderate knowledge (83%), positive attitude (88.8%) and good practices(87.9%). Respondents had knowledge gaps on HCAIs, WHO “Five (5) moments for handhygiene” and alcohol-based hand rub. Association was found between respondent’s KAPscores and age (p<0.05). Biomedical section was associated with good practices(p=0.000). Knowledge and attitude were associated with years of clinical experience(p<0.05). Most students at KIU-WC had moderate knowledge, positive attitude and goodpractices. Respondent’s variety in KAP scores and associated factors indicate that amultimodal, multifaceted improvement approach should be undertaken to address KAPgaps.