Assessing knowledge and performance of pre-hospital emergency staff regarding infection control standard precautions

Offering pre-hospital emergency services always puts staff at the risk of contracting or spreading infectious diseases in the community. Compliance with standard precautions is an essential part of the performance of these staff. The purpose of this study was to measure the knowledge and performance of pre-hospital emergency staff regarding infection control standard precautions. This cross-sectional analytical study was carried out on 160 pre-hospital emergency staff working in emergency operations unit of Hamedan and Kermanshah provinces. Convenience sampling was used in this study. Data was collected using a reliable and valid questionnaire on knowledge and performance of these staff regarding infection control standard precautions. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21. The mean age of the individuals was 33.24±7.38. More than one-third of individuals (34.37%) had a history of the needle stick. There was no significant relationship between knowledge and performance (p<0.05), but there was a significant relationship between the knowledge variable and the level of education (p<0.05). The mean knowledge score of the samples regarding infection control standard precautions was 47.15±15.28 at a low level and the mean score of the performance of the sample was 56.66±11.87 at a moderate level. According to the results of this study, most of the staff did not have good knowledge and performance regarding the principles of infection prevention. Therefore, authorities should pay more attention to take necessary measures for the education of pre-hospital emergency staff.