Current trends and future recommendations in nurses' practice of standard precautions against infection at hospitals

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the current trends in nurses' practice of standard precautions against infection, and to recommend guidelines for improvement. An investigation of infection control practices was conducted on general hospitals selected from among all health facilities in Japan, and clarified the following points.1) MethodsSelf-administrated questionnaires were distributed by post to the head of nursing at 500 facilities in the first stage survey (March 2006), and 2400 in the second stage (September to October 2007). In the first stage, questions were prepared concerning demographics and infection control practices; revised questions were used in the second stage. Data from 281 first-stage subjects and 998 second-stage subjects were used for the analyses.2) ResultsThe results indicate that, regardless of the hospital size, the number of nurses composing the infection control committee was significantly smaller in the Kanto and Kinki regions compared to the Kyushu … More and Okinawa regions. Regarding items described in the current guidelines for infection control, approximately 90% of respondents indicated that the guidelines did not provide descriptions of their uniforms. Only 70% of respondents confirmed the use of disposable gloves. Specifically related to universal glove use, approximately 90% of respondents described routine tasks related to the handling of urine bags and stools, and 70% percent of respondents described routine tasks related to wound care and blood treatment. Although hand washing was recognized as the most important factor in preventing infection (791 subjects, 79.3%), education on infection control was primarily reported as training for new nurses (839 subjects, 83.9%).3) DiscussionThis study suggests that recommendations to improve the organization, construction and functionality of the guidelines and the promotion of continuous educational activities are required to prevent infection. It will be necessary to establish guidelines that effectively incorporate these recommendations in the future. Less