Infection control practices among intensive care unit registered nurses: A Jordanian national study

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate infection control (IC) practices among Jordanian registered nurses (RNs) working in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends periodic assessment of IC practices for health care workers as an effective strategy to control infections. Design: Cross-sectional descriptive design. Methods: A stratified, cluster random sampling technique was used. The sample consisted of ICU RNs from all major health care service providers and from all geographical areas in Jordan. The IC-Practices Tool (Cronbach α = 0·88) a self-report instrument was used. Results: A total of 21 hospitals participated in the study, of which, 8 were governmental, 7 military, 4 private and 2 university-affiliated. The final sample consisted of 247 RNs from 56 critical care units. Of the total sample, 36% of RNs were from governmental hospitals. Of the total sample, 51% were female with a mean age of 28·5 years (SD = 5·2), and 54·7% worked in general ICUs. The mean overall IC practice score was 122·6 (SD = 13·2). Nurses who reported that they had been trained about IC procedures in their hospital scored higher on the IC practice scale (M = 124·3, SD = 12·3) than nurses who never received any IC training in the hospital (M = 117·3, SD = 14·6, p < 0·001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the importance of conducting IC educational programmes as an effective strategy to increase staff compliance with standard IC practices. Relevance to clinical practice: Educational role of IC nurse is important to enhance RNs compliance with standard IC practices.