Knowledge Attitude And Practice Of Healthcare Workers About Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene In Healthcare Facilities In A District Of Central India

Abstract

Background: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) are human rights; they play an important role in achieving highest standard of health for all and as an integral part of Infection Prevention Control.  Healthcare workers play an indispensable role in functioning and maintenance of WASH in healthcare facilities. It is a necessity to have sufficient knowledge and to perform correct practices. So it is important to spread knowledge among healthcare workers at all levels. The study aims to document the knowledge attitude and practice of healthcare workers about WASH in healthcare facilities.

Methodology: It was a community-based pre- post knowledge attitude practice study done in a block of Raipur district. The healthcare workers from public health centers were interviewed for assessing their KAP with a pre-validated semi-structured questionnaire and they were sensitized about the standards of WASH in healthcare facilities on the same day. The healthcare workers were again interviewed with the same questionnaire after 2-5 days.

Result: A total of 139 healthcare workers were interviewed in the pre-test. The mean knowledge score obtained in the pre-test was 31.42±3.66 out of 43. Age, education and designation of the healthcare workers were the factors influencing their knowledge. All 139 healthcare workers were sensitized about the standards of WASH in healthcare facilities. Among 134 healthcare workers participated in the post-test, the mean score obtained was 36.22±3.37. There was a significant difference between mean pre and post-test scores (p<0.05). The factors influencing the practice of healthcare workers were their education and designation.

Conclusion: The sensitization of healthcare workers was successful as there was a significant increase in the knowledge and attitude among healthcare workers about WASH in healthcare facilities though in practice a significant difference was only noticed in waste management. To maintain good WASH practices there should be training and retraining for healthcare workers.