Abstract

Infection controls are measures put in place curtailing the spread of infection in hospital setting. Infection control is the structural and integral components of quality, determinants in the context of patients’ care and health care providers’ safety. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge and practice of infection control among health workers in selected health care facilities in Osun state. One group pre-test, post-test quasiexperimental design was used for the study. The target population were thirty-three (33) healthcare workers released by the management of the primary health care facilities in Ile-Ife, Osun State. A convenience sampling technique was adopted to select 33 primary healthcare workers who met the inclusion criteria into the study. Data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire for pre and post intervention. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were ensured by the research supervisor and other experts in the field. The reliability of the questionnaire was ascertained using test re-test method and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.755 for the knowledge section and 0.783 for the practice section. Data collected were processed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Three research questions were answered using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and percentage while three hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics of t-test and ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed that pre-intervention knowledge mean score of participants on infection control was 7.76 (25.8%) while 25.77 (85.9%) was reported at the post intervention stage. Also, the pre intervention mean score on the practice of infection control among healthcare providers was 14.72 (42.1%) while the post-intervention mean score was 27.10 (77.4%). A significant difference in the pre and post-intervention mean scores on knowledge of infection control measures among the healthcare providers(t = 12.44, df = 64, p= .000); a significant difference in the pre and post-intervention mean scores on knowledge of infection control measures among various groups of healthcare providers (f-value = 5.954, t-value = 7.765, p = .000); and a significant difference between pre and post-intervention mean scores on the practice of infection control among the healthcare providers (t = 27.109; p = .012). In conclusion, the study revealed that the teaching method was effective and there was an increase in knowledge and practice of infection control after the educational intervention. Hence, it is recommended that similar educational approach should be adopted in implementation of in- service educational programs and provision of infection control equipment for primary health care workers.