Comparative assessment of infection prevention and control practice among maternity unit health workers in public and private secondary health facilities in Kaduna state, Nigeria

OBJECTIVES: Infection prevention and control (IPC) practice in health facility (HF) is abysmally low in developing countries, resulting in significant preventable morbidity and mortality. This study assessed and compared health workers' (HWs) practice of IPC strategies in public and private secondary HFs in Kaduna State. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative study was employed. Using multistage sampling, 227 participants each were selected comprising of doctors, midwives, and nurses from public and private HF. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire and observation checklist and analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analysis. Statistical significance determined at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The practice of infection prevention was poor. Overall, 42.3% of the HWs did not change their gowns in-between patients, with the significantly higher rates in 73.1% of private compared to 42.3% of public HF workers (P < 0.001). In addition, 30.5% and 10.1% of HWs do not use face mask and eye goggle, respectively, when conducting procedures likely to generate splash of body fluids, however, there was no significant difference in these poor practices in public compared to private HFs. The mean IPC practice was 51.6 ± 12.5%, this was significantly lower among public (48.8 ± 12.5%) compared to private (54.5 ± 11.9%) HF workers (P < 0.0001). Private HF workers were 3 times more likely to implement IPC interventions compared to public HF workers. CONCLUSION: IPC practice especially among public HF workers was poor.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of dental patients presenting at a secondary health care facility in southern Nigeria towards covid-19

With the emergence of the COVID-19 disease, ascertaining the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of patients will lead to effective patient education, creation of gaps in the life cycle of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and a decrease in the spread of the infection. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental patients presenting at a secondary healthcare facility in Southern Nigeria towards COVID-19.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of dental patients presenting at the Dental department, Central Hospital Benin, Edo State, Nigeria between August 2020 and February 2021. Data on knowledge, attitude and practices were collected using a researcher-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Analysis of data was done using the IBM®SPSS® Statistics version 25 software. Data on categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Mean percentage knowledge, attitude and practices was expressed as poor: < 50%, fair: 50% ­ 69.99%, good: ≥ 70%. Results: In this study, 244 questionnaires were analysed. The respondents' age ranged from 18 ­ 93, with a mean and median age of 34.93 ± 13.15 years and 32.00 years, respectively. The mean percentage knowledge (74.81%), attitudes (68.93%), and practices (63.99%) among patients concerning COVID-19 were good, fair, and fair, respectively. Conclusion: The respondents' knowledge concerning COVID-19 was good; meanwhile, attitudes and practices were fair. There is a need for a more robust health education and promotion programme on COVID-19, due to gaps in relevant sensitisation pathways