EVALUATION OF PHYSICIAN ADHERENCE TO STANDARD PRECAUTIONS IN GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS RESIDENCY: A PRACTICE, CHALLENGE AND TRAINING NEED STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48047/krq7wp44Keywords:
Standard Precautions, physician compliance, gynecology, obstetrics, residency, infection control, personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, healthcare worker safety.Abstract
Background: Standard Precautions (SP) are the crucial measures of avoiding healthcare-associated infection and their implementation is important in safeguarding healthcare professionals and patients alike. Doctors, especially the ones working in gynecology and obstetrics, are more likely to be exposed to blood stains and bodily fluid of a patient because their work is invasive. Nevertheless, the compliance of the SP of resident physicians in these specialties has not been sufficiently investigated. Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the compliance of the resident physicians in the gynecology and obstetrics department with SP protocols and to find out what factors impact on adherence. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study was done on 121 gynecology and obstetrics resident physicians in three years of residency (R1, R2, R3) in a teaching hospital. The data were gathered on the basis of a structured questionnaire and Standard Precautions Compliance Scale which had 13 items in the form of a Likert-type instrument. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis test. Ethical permission was granted and informed consent was gathered to all the participants. Findings: The researchers discovered that there were very big differences in adherence to SP depending on practices. Compliance was high in regards to proper sharps disposal (96.6) and the use of gloves in case they got exposed to blood and secretions (79.3). Nevertheless, the rates of compliance were lower with such practices as treating patients as they were infected with HIV (8.3%), and wearing safety glasses (17.4%). There were also great variations in compliance between the years of residency as R1 residents were more likely to comply to hand hygiene and standard precautions than the R2 and R3 residents. Conclusions: This paper identifies moderate adherence to SP in gynecological and obstetric resident physicians. Most of the major practices were highly adhered to but there is a need to improve hand hygiene, use of PPE, and handling of needles. The findings highlight the importance of regular and mandatory training on SP, especially high-risk practices, to increase compliance and minimize the risk of occupational health. Increasing the rates of SP adherence will help in provision of safer healthcare environments between the healthcare workers and the patients.
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