Vårdpersonalens kunskaper och attityder till städrutiner vid vård av patient med Vankomycinresistenta Enterokocker

Abstract

Background Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have been implicated in various outbreaks in hospitals since the 1980s. Outbreaks among patients with kidney diseases are common and recently an outbreak has occurred in the department of Renal medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The purpose of this study was to investigate the healthcare staff’s attitudes and knowledge of cleaning procedures. Research questions  What level of knowledge regarding VRE does the healthcare staff have? Does it differentiate between the units and those that have had an outbreak compared with those who had not?  Which background factors could affect the level of knowledge?  What is the attitude of healthcare staff towards cleaning procedures compared to Infection prevention and control care unit and what are the differences between the units and those that have had an outbreak?  Which background factors could influence the attitude towards cleaning procedure? Materials and methods A quantitative survey was sent out and completed by healthcare staff working in the fields of renal medicine and by Infection prevention and control care at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The responsible director of renal care gave approval after ethical review. Results 48 out of 134 recipients took part in the survey. The average number of correct answers was 76%. There was a statistically significant difference in knowledge level between the different units (p-value: 0.049) but not depending on whether the department had been involved in the VRE outbreak or not. No significant differences between the departments were seen regarding the attitude questions. Units that had not been involved in outbreaks were closer to Infection prevention and control care in the attitude questions, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion and implication Continuous education is required for healthcare staff in renal units to reduce the risk of an outbreak of VRE, and to prevent human suffering and increased costs of care.