Title: Practice of Universal Precaution among Health Care Providers in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tripura: A Cross- Sectional Study

Authors: Dr Rituparna Das, Dr Arpita Debnath, Dr Paramita Barman

 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i2.72

Abstract

Health care providers are at risk of blood borne infections as an occupational hazard. This can be prevented by adequate practice of universal precaution.

Objective: 1. To estimate the practice of universal precaution among health care providers 2. To assess the barriers of universal precaution practice among health care providers. 3.To study the factors associated with practice of universal precaution.

Material and Method: This was a hospital based cross- sectional study conducted among 180 health care providers during March, 2018 at Agartala Government Medical College and G.B.P. Hospital, Agartala. Stratified random sampling procedure was used to select the participants and a scoring system was used to assess the practice of universal precaution.

Results: The present study revealed that 13.4%participants were having good practice of Universal precaution, 67% participants were having average practice, 19.6% having poor practice regarding universal precaution. Majority of the participants could not comply with Universal Precautions due to increased work load (78.4%), followed by Emergency cases (65.6%).Occupation and work experience were found as significant determinants of universal precaution practice (p value- <0.05).

Conclusion: The Overall Practice of universal precaution was not satisfactory. Training programmesfor the health-care providers to update the existing knowledge, better work place managementcan help in having a positive attitude and compliance to universal precaution.

Keywords: Universal precaution, Practice, Health-care providers.

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Corresponding Author

Dr Rituparna Das

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Agartala Govt. Medical College, Agartala,

Tripura (W). Pin-799006, India