Analyses and Assessment of Health Care Workers (HCWs) towards Occupational Hygiene (OH) and Infection Control (IC) Practices in Selected Tertiary Healthcare Facilities within Parts of Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Healthcare workers are exposed to a variety of hazards which predisposes these “indispensable carers” to various life threatening infections and diseases. This study is aimed at analyzing and assessing HCWs towards Occupational hygiene and Infection control practices in Federal Medical Centre Owerri and Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa health care facility in Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Descriptive cross sectional study using a structured questionnaire and walk-through safety checklist was employed. A total of 379 healthcare workers were selected through disproportionate stratified sampling from the two facilities. The questionnaires were self-administered and analyzed using SPSS Version 22.0. Frequencies and chi-square were computed. 60.7% of respondents were male, dominant age group; 30 – 39 yrs, nurses represented a larger proportion (34.8%) of healthcare workers; 51.7% and 48.3% of respondents in FMC Yenagoa and FMC Owerri respectively had a high (good) knowledge of hazards and controls. There was a significant difference with chi-square as, 9.710 p-Value <0.008. High level of attitude was 44.7% in Owerri and 21.2% in Yenagoa, chi-square 18.295 p-Value <0.001. Overall level of industrial hygiene and infection control practices was low in both facilities. The checklist revealed that both facilities were of imminent high risk category. Health care workers at FMC Yenagoa had higher exposures to hazards than FMC Owerri. Working in FMC Owerri predisposes workers to higher health hazards than in FMC Yenagoa. There was better administrative controls including trainings and immunizations in FMC Yenagoa than in FMC Owerri.