EXPLORING THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL STUDENTS REGARDING INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL IN HOSPITALS: A PILOT STUDY

Maha Pervaz Iqbal; Kerry Uebel; Md. Saiful Islam; Victoria Jabbour; John Hall; Abrar A Chughtai; Najam Us Saqib Khan

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v71i6.6086

Authors

Maha Pervaz Iqbal School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Kerry Uebel School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Md. Saiful Islam School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Victoria Jabbour School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
John Hall School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Abrar A Chughtai School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia
Najam Us Saqib Khan Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v71i6.6086

Keywords:

Care of medical students, Hand hygiene, Knowledge and practice, Personal protective equipment, Student, Sharps injury and disposal

Abstract

Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice of medical students regarding standard precautions in an Australian undergraduate medical programme.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: University of New South Wales, Australia, duration of study was six-years.

Methodology: Fifty medical students who were involved in clinical practice, were invited to complete a comprehensive questionnaire on standard precautions.

Results: The majority of participants agreed that hand hygiene was the most important factor in infection control. Only 32 (16%) knew to use a full personal protective equipment for Ebola. Regarding sharps disposal, 46 (92%) students always disposed used needles in the recommended bin, 27 (54%) indicated they sometimes recapped used needle while 25 (20%) sometimes bent used needles.

Conclusion: This study showed that there is a gap between knowledge and practice of medical students regarding hand hygiene and other infection control measures. There is a need for standardized and regular student training in the use of standard precautions in infection prevention and control.