Adaptation and validation of the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale amongst nurses in Turkey

Compliance of healthcare workers in a psychiatric inpatient ward to infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a participant observation study supplemented with a self-reported survey

BACKGROUND

As an emerging infectious disease with a heterogenous and uncertain transmission pattern, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a catastrophe in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and posed a significant challenge to infection control practices (ICPs) in healthcare settings. While the unique characteristics of psychiatric patients and clinical settings may make the implementation of ICPs difficult, evidence is lacking for compliance with ICPs among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a psychiatric setting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional multi-method study based on participant unobtrusive observation coupled with the completion of a self-administered ICP survey was conducted to assess compliance with ICPs among HCWs in a psychiatric inpatient ward in a regional hospital. An online checklist, called eRub, was used to record the performance of HCWs in hand hygiene (HH) and other essential ICPs. Furthermore, a well-validated questionnaire (i.e., Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale, CSPS) was used to collect the participants' self-reported ICP compliance for later comparison.

RESULTS

A total of 2,670 ICP opportunities were observed from January to April 2020. The overall compliance rate was 42.6%. HCWs exhibited satisfactory compliance to the wearing of mask (91.2%) and the handling of clinical waste (87.5%); suboptimal compliance to the handling of sharp objects (67.7%) and linen (72.7%); and poor compliance to HH (3.3%), use of gloves (40.9%), use of personal protective equipment (20%), and disinfection of used surface/area (0.4%). The compliance rates of the nurses and support staff to HH were significantly different (χ2 = 123.25, p < 0.001). In the self-reported survey, the overall compliance rate for ICPs was 64.6%.

CONCLUSION

The compliance of HCWs in a psychiatric inpatient ward to ICPs during the COVID-19 pandemic ranged from poor to suboptimal. This result was alarming. Revisions of current ICP guidelines and policies that specifically target barriers in psychiatric settings will be necessary.

Compliance among Registered Nurses and Doctors in Critical Care Units: Challenges Affecting Their Adherence to Standard Precautions

(1) Background: Awareness and compliance with standard precautions (SPs) are essential health issues for both healthcare staff and patients. Hence, more research is urgently needed in the health sector worldwide, particularly in Arab countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate compliance with SPs among nurses and doctors, as well as challenges affecting their adherence to these SPs. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. The researchers administered the compliance with the Standard Precautions Scale (CAPS) to staff nurses and doctors from critical care units at a university-affiliated hospital in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A total of 112 nurses and 59 doctors were enrolled in the study to determine their compliance with SPs as well as the challenges affecting their adherence to these SPs. (3) Results: The overall mean percentage scores of nurses' and doctors' compliance with SPs were 36.43 ± 15.85% and 33.27 ± 15.76%, respectively. In addition, the current study identified associated challenges affecting these healthcare workers' adherence to these SPs, including the effect of sociodemographic factors, such as age and experience. (4) Conclusions: The study found that both nurses and doctors had poor compliance with all SPs except for disposal of sharps, which scored with suboptimal compliance. Nurses' compliance with recommended precautions varied significantly according to age, clinical experience, and attendance at training courses. Healthcare organizations should consider a holistic approach to promote adherence to SPs to enhance outcomes associated with optimized care delivery and stakeholder safety.

Evaluation of Standard Precautions Compliance Instruments: A Systematic Review Using COSMIN Methodology

BACKGROUND

Standard precautions (SPs) are first-line strategies with a dual goal: to protect health care workers from occupational contamination while providing care to infected patients and to prevent/reduce health care-associated infections (HAIs). This study aimed at (1) identifying the instruments currently available for measuring healthcare professionals' compliance with standard precautions; (2) evaluating their measurement properties; and (3) providing sound evidence for instrument selection for use by researchers, teachers, staff trainers, and clinical tutors.

METHODS

We carried out a systematic review to examine the psychometric properties of standard precautions self-assessment instruments in conformity with the COSMIN guidelines. The search was conducted on the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and APA PsycInfo.

RESULTS

Thirteen instruments were identified. These were classified into four categories of tools assessing: compliance with universal precautions, adherence to standard precautions, compliance with hand hygiene, and adherence to transmission-based guidelines and precautions. The psychometric properties of instruments and methodological approaches of the included studies were often not satisfactory. Only four instruments were classified as high-quality measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

The available instruments that measure healthcare professionals' compliance with standard precautions are of low-moderate quality. It is necessary that future research completes the validation processes undertaken for long-established and newly developed instruments, using higher-quality methods and estimating all psychometric properties.

Translation and psychometric testing of the sense of competence in Dementia Care Staff Scale in Chinese amongst dementia care staff in nursing homes of China

BACKGROUND

Although China has the largest population of persons with dementia, there is no validated tool available to accurately assess formal caregivers' competence in dementia care in long-term care settings. Appropriately assessing nursing staff's level of competence in dementia care is the first step to develop precision training interventions to improve the quality of dementia care. The Sense of Competence in Dementia Care Staff scale (SCIDS) is a user-friendly tool with satisfactory reliability and validity. We adapted SCIDS into a Chinese version (SCIDS-C) and validated its uses in China's socio-cultural context to assess nursing staff's capability and competence in dementia care at nursing homes.

AIMS

We aimed to adapt and psychometrically test the tool among frontline nursing staff in long-term care settings in China.

METHODS

The research employed a correlational design with repeated measures. In translation section, we adapted and tailored the original scale in the cultural and social context in China's nursing homes. The scale's adaptation consists of translating adaptation and semantic equivalence. In psychometric testing phase, we tested the validity and reliability of the scale with 174 nursing staff conveniently from six nursing homes. Construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), including principal component analysis and maximum variance rotation method. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha value and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS

The SCIDS-C has 17 items, which belong to the two sub-scales, the Relationship-Centered Care(RCC) and Professional Care(PC). The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.88, showing a good internal consistency. The full scale's value of ICC was 0.94 which indicated good reliability. Exploratory factor analysis(EFA) extracted 2 common factors in each sub-scale, cumulative variance contribution rate was 56.71% and 53.92%, respectively. The named four factors are the same as the Sense of Competence in Dementia Care Staff (SCIDS) scale in English, including Building Relationships, Sustaining Personhood, Professionalism and Care Challenges.

CONCLUSION

The SCIDS-C has shown good reliability and validity. It can be used as an appropriate tool to evaluate the competence of nursing care staff to provide dementia care for residents in nursing homes.

Turkish nursing students' compliance to standard precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess nursing students' compliance to standard precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to June 2022, 816 nursing students participated in the study. A socio-demographic questionnaire and Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale were used to collect data. Means and percentages were used to report socio-demographic characteristics multiple regression analysis used to identify the factors influencing compliance with standard precautions.

Results

The mean age of nursing students was 21.30 ± 1.31 years. The majority of nursing students were female, with 703 (86.2%) being female and 113 (13.8%) being male. Compliance among nursing students was 76.8% overall. Nursing students reported the highest compliance (97.7%) with putting used sharp articles into sharp boxes, with 97.1% compliance for covering mouth and nose when wearing a mask. Participants reported the lowest (38.6%) when it came to not recapping used needles after giving an injection. Regression analysis revealed that gender, year of study, and having needlestick injury or contact with blood/body fluids experience all influenced nursing students' compliance with standard precautions.

Conclusions

During the pandemic, nursing students compliance to standard precautions was optimal, according to this study. More research should be done to assess nursing students' compliance with standard precautions and the effect of infection control strategies used to prevent COVID-19 transmission.