Background
Exposure to blood and bodily fluids represents a significant occupational risk for
nurses. The most effective means of preventing bloodborne pathogen transmission is
through adherence to Standard Precautions (SP). Despite published guidelines on infection
control and negative health consequences of noncompliance, significant issues remain
around compliance with SP to protect nurses from bloodborne infectious diseases, including
hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV.
Methods
A descriptive correlational study was conducted that measured self-reported compliance
with SP, knowledge of HCV, and perceived susceptibility and severity of HCV plus perceived
benefits and barriers to SP use. Relationships between the variables were examined.
Registered nurses (N = 231) working in ambulatory settings were surveyed.
Results
Fewer than one-fifth (17.4%) of respondents reported compliance with all 9 SP items.
Mean score for correct responses to the HCV knowledge test was 81%. There was a significant
relationship between susceptibility of HCV and compliance and between barriers to
SP use and compliance.
Conclusions
This study explored reasons why nurses fail to adopt behaviors that protect them and
used the Health Belief Model for the theoretical framework. It concentrated on SP
and HCV because more than 5 million people in the United States and 200 million worldwide
are infected with HCV, making it 1 of the greatest public health threats faced in
this century. Understanding reasons for noncompliance will help determine a strategy
for improving behavior and programs that target the aspects that were less than satisfactory
to improve overall compliance. It is critical to examine factors that influence compliance
to encourage those that will lead to total compliance and eliminate those that prevent
it.
Key Words
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Article info
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
