Attitude and compliance of nurses to standard precautions to infection control in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.

The attitude and compliance to standard precautions (SP) by nurses have been recognized as efficient and effective means to prevent and control infections among patients and healthcare workers. This study investigated nurses' attitude and compliance to standard precautions in tertiary hospitals in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria. A cross-sectional, descriptive research designs using purposive sampling techniques were used. Adapted and standardized instruments were used to elicit information from 137 nurses. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Participants' age was between 21 and 62 years, with a mean age of 33.54± 9.41 years; 85.4% were females; while the majority had five to ten years working experience. Participants had poor attitude toward SP, but with good compliance (96.6%). All participants (100%) had good compliance with the use of personnel protective equipment, while most had good compliance with hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, safety injection practice, clean environment, and sterilization of instruments. The ward/unit allocation of the nurses had a significant positive effect (R= 0.225, p= 0.008) on compliance with respiratory hygiene. Hence, sensitization programs should be intensified to ensure that health workers understand and comply with infection control through the use of SP.

Assessment of COVID-19 Effect on the Health of Families in South-West, Nigeria

AimThis study was to assess the effect of the coronavirus disease and its associated lockdown on the physical, spiritual, emotional, and socio-economic health of families living in South-West, Nigeria. BackgroundThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic create a universal health crisis that has a major effect on our day-to-day activities and these global concerns have shifted from the diseases to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and socioeconomic effects of the situation on the people. MethodThis is a descriptive study with five hundred and thirty-six (536) respondents; a convenient sampling technique was used to select samples through online Google form. ResultThe majority of the respondents ages ranged between 20 and 30years (53.0%). COVID 19 pandemic affected 17.2% of the respondents physical health. The lockdown improved bonding among family members (74.6%), also the lockdown favourable affected 56.0% of the respondents emotional health. The spirituality of the respondents was negatively affected (79.9%) by the lockdown, family expenses were increased (82.6%), there was an increased in the prices of goods (92.9%), and in general COVID 19 pandemic unfavorably affected (77.2%) the respondents socio-economic health. ConclusionThis study reveals that COVID-19 and the lockdown produced an adverse effect on the physical, emotional, spiritual, and socio-economic wellbeing of the families in southwest Nigeria. Implications for nursing and health policynurses working in COVID-19 unit need to give total care to the affected patient; therefore, they have obligation to include physical, emotional, spiritual and mental intervention in their care. The government needs to plan and strategize properly in the method for distribution of the palliatives, and if possible identify the vulnerable and less privileged in each state for easy distribution.