Authors: Folorunso Dipo Omisakin.
Nurses have the obligation to protect patients against nosocomial infection especially those who have undergone surgery and are immune compromised. Therefore nurses should have good practices of adherence to infection prevention and control standard precautions in order to ensure delivery of quality of care. This study examined
nurses’ practices towards prevention and control of nosocomial infection in Madonna University Teaching Hospital, Elele, Rivers State. A descriptive research design was utilized to answer the research questions. All ninety-seven (97) nurses currently working in Madonna University teaching Hospital formed the population for this study. The sample size was calculated using the formula (n = N/ 1+N(e)2) . A simple random sampling technique was employed to select from duty roster a sample size of 78 nurses across all the units of hospital. Data was collected through a specially designed questionnaire that was derived from other published studies dealing with the same topic. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS-20) was used for data processing. Simple descriptive statistics (percentages and frequency) and inferential statistic (Chi square) were used. The institution’s ethical committee approval was obtained. Ethical considerations in the conduct of research were followed to prevent ethical dilemmas. Most of the nurses in the current study have good practice regarding infection control standard precautions. However, a few of the nurses had poor practices in the maintenance of the patient’s care environment, this signal to a need for further educational intervention in form of seminars and workshops. Provision of guidelines on infection control to enhance good practice may improve patients' outcomes and consequently enhance quality of provided nursing care.