Challenges and Compliance in Practicing Standard Precautions: An Insight from Nurses in Ihiala, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Pathogens drift throughout a hospital-patients, visitors, even the staff who scrub the floors-yet nurses bear the lion's share of risk because they take position at a bedside the moment a new person arrives and typically remain there until the final bandage is removed. Because they seldom stray far, the routine hand-hygiene drills the team labels Standard Precautions become the wards strongest shield against the resilient microbes lurking in every corner. Even though standard precautions (SPs) matter so much for safety, compliance often drifts off course in busy hospital wards. Aim: This study mapped both knowledge and day-to-day application of Standard Precautions among nurses at Lady of Lourdes Catholic Hospital in Ihiala, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: Adopting a descriptive cross-sectional approach, the research team surveyed eighty-nine nurses using a self-administered structured questionnaire. The instrument gathered basic demographic data and then examined the understanding and practice of hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and waste disposal. Responses were analysed with simple descriptive statistics and reported as frequencies and percentages. Questions were lifted from earlier published studies on standard precautions, and the draft was pre-tested to make sure each item worked and gave steady scores. Results: Almost all participants (93.3%) had heard of SPs and 91.0% stated they knew the different components. That self-assurance, however, hides a serious shortfall; thorough comprehension of hand hygiene was noted in 62.9%, PPE in 48.3%, and waste disposal in only 29.2%. While 98.9% claimed to wash or sanitise their hands, just 55.1% did so at every critical moment. Use of PPE was inconsistent: 71.9% always wore gloves, 62.9% a mask, yet no nurse consistently applied eye protection. A recent audit shows that only 58.4 percent of healthcare workers put sharp waste in the right container, and a dismal 16.9 percent separate general rubbish as the law requires. Conclusion: Although many nurses claim familiarity with basic safety steps, their day-to-day habits still fall short of accepted benchmarks. Inconsistent understanding of basic protocols, sporadic wear of safety equipment, and hurried, careless sorting of waste still persist. When viewed collectively, the statistics call for continuous training, reliable provision of materials, and resolute management to improve adherence and reduce hospital-acquired infections.