Profile of institutional infrastructure for implementing universal precautions in primary health care facilities in Sokoto State, Nigeria: Implication for occupational safety

ABSTRACT

Background: The adoption of primary health care in Nigeria has led to the expansion of health care delivery frontiers especially at the rural level. At this level is the most critical health services delivery point, with an attendant increase in contact between primary health care providers and patients. There is however also a simultaneous increased exposure to occupational and related health risks and hazards. Methods: The objectives of this study were to assess the universal precaution profile of primary health care facilities and determine those factors that inform their prevailing safety status. Using a structured checklist, 23 representative primary health care facilities from the 23 local government areas in Sokoto State were randomly selected for the study, one from each of the local government areas. Results: The facilities were found to have poor universal precaution profile that could guarantee effective control of infection transmission and safety of their personnel. The facilities' mean score on measures and frameworks for ensuring the implementation of Universal Precautions was 53.12% ± 21.68% with only 56.52% scoring above 50%. Conclusion: Safety protocol and facilities for ensuring safe environment were inadequate and poorly developed. None of the facilities had full complement of facilities or resources for ensuring safety of working environment and for personnel's implementation of Universal Precautions. Policy for safety practice was poor, and post exposure intervention programmes for staff in event of accidental exposure grossly underdeveloped. Interventions to improve safety environment and creation of safe climate are essential to protect primary health care workers against occupational hazards