KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES ON INFECTION CONTROL AMONG STAFF NURSES AT A PRIVATE HOSPITAL: A BASIS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF NURSING PRACTICE

Preventing the spread of infectious diseases in hospital settings is the goal of infection control, a crucial component of healthcare. This study aimed to explore the knowledge and practices on infection control among staff nurses at a private hospital in Cauayan City, Isabela. It utilized a descriptive correlational design to systematically analyze the correlations between variables, specifically the knowledge and practices of infection control among staff nurses. The respondents were the 200 staff nurses selected through total enumeration. The researcher used an adapted questionnaire and utilized frequency and percentage distribution, mean, Spearman’s Rho correlation, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test in treating the data. The demographic profile revealed that the nursing workforce is predominantly young and in the early stages of their careers, composed mostly of female nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree and possess relatively limited clinical experience. In addition, staff nurses possess a strong foundational knowledge of infection control, particularly in hand hygiene, which is widely acknowledged as the most effective method to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Moreover, the staff nurses exhibit a commendable level of infection control practice, particularly in hand hygiene during high-risk procedures, indicating strong awareness of infection prevention protocols. The findings also revealed a significant yet weak positive correlation between nurses’ infection control knowledge and their actual practices indicates that while increased knowledge tends to improve compliance, it is not the sole determinant of behavior. Lastly, there were no significant differences in infection control knowledge and practices among staff nurses across various demographic variables.