Measures Utilised by Midwives for the Prevention of Nosocomial Infections in the Labour Ward at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar

Abstract

The study sought to identify measures utilized by midwives for the prevention of nosocomial infections in the labour ward at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. The study employed a cross-sectional design. Three hundred and ten (310) midwives were selected using the systematic sampling technique. A well-structured and validated questionnaire was constructed and used for data collection. Data generated were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The significance of the hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistics at <0.05 level of significance. From the findings, majority of study participants practiced nosocomial infection measures including hand hygiene while environmental hygiene was ensured as the facility had running water and wash points which were available and accessible at all points of care. Similarly, facility provided soaps were available, items and equipment were always clean and sterilized and delivery rooms and theatres were disinfected regularly and between procedures. Findings from the present study revealed that majority agreed that; the educational level of a healthcare professional, number of years of work experience, knowledge of preventive measures of nosocomial infections, training on infection prevention and control and availability of practice resources can encourage the utilization of preventive measures of nosocomial infections. Similarly, findings from the present study indicated that majority of respondents agreed thatpoor supply and availability of the practice materials, heavy workload, poor comfort of PPEs and poor training on infection prevention and control can hinder the use of nosocomial infection prevention measures in labour units. Finally, findings of the present study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the level of education of midwives and their utilization of hand hygiene in the labour wards of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital.