Staff perceptions of an infection control programme in long-term aged care

Abstract

Staff awareness and compliance with infection control (IC) policies and procedures is vital to achieve practice standards and minimise the risk of infection. This paper examines aspects of an existing IC programme in a long-term aged care setting from the perspective of health care staff. An anonymous survey of staff produced a response rate of 30% (n = 199). The majority of respondents (98%) were aware of an IC manual in their workplace, but nearly a quarter (23.1%) reported never using the manual. There was a moderately high level of compliance with the application of IC principles in 10 work care events (mean score 39.7 out of 50, SD = 2.3, range 30-45) but a higher level was expected. There was no statistical difference between occupational groups in terms of compliance. Over 50% of the sample reported that only minor change was required to improve their IC work practices. Nearly 60% reported that nothing prevented them from improving their work practices, but 37% felt they were hindered in making changes. In terms of surveillance, respondents "always" collected data on urinary {77.7%), respiratory (65.3%) and gastrointestinal (60.8%) tract infections, skin (67.8%) and wound (71.9%) infections. Organisations need to provide ongoing staff education to enhance knowledge and compliance with procedures, and minimise barriers to effective IC practices.