Midwives and Nurses Compliance with Standard Precautions in Palestinian Hospitals

Midwives and nurses should use the standard precautions as the basic level of infection control precautions when delivering care to all patients, regardless of their presumed infection status. Therefore midwifes and nurses should have sound knowledge and compliance with standard precaution. Aim of the study: The study aimed to assess the level of the compliance of standard precautions among the midwives and nurses in the Palestinian Hospitals. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted from May to June 2015 on 81 midwives and nurses from Palestinian hospitals. The data were collected from labor rooms and postpartum departments of Palestinian hospitals. Data were collected using pretested questionnaire on 81 midwives and nurses selected by convenience sample. Results: The current study showed that the average of standard precautions knowledge level and compliance are 74.6% and 83.8% respectively. There are an association between age, education, work experience, and compliance with standard precautions at p p < 0.05 (0.191). Conclusion: The midwives and nurses in the current study for both knowledge and compliance have high level regarding standard precautions. There is an association between age, education, work experience, and compliance with standard precautions. Recommendations: Knowledge of midwives and nurses should be updated;the importance of latest evidence-based practices of infection control in continuing education/training program should be emphasized;and training programs for newly midwives and nurses about standard precaution and at regular intervals should be provided.

A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Perception and Knowledge of Staff Nurses regarding Physical Restrains

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and knowledge regarding physical restraint used among registered nurses (RNs) and nursing assistants (NAs). Method and Sample: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A convenient sample was recruited from nursing staff from Palestinian and Saudi Hospitals. Perceptions of Restraint Use Questionnaire (PRUQ) were used [1]. Results: A total of 144 nursing staffs were included. Physical restraint use was perceived as more important in some circumstances than others. In the critical care unit/ICU, the most important perceived reason for physical restraint use was protecting from falling out of bed and preventing removing dressing. There were significant differences of overall score for the PRUQ among all nursing staff according to hospital, t (142) = 8.74, P = 0.001. The mean of Saudi Arabia hospitals group (M = 4.56) was higher than the mean of Palestinian hospital group (M = 3.67). At the same time, there were significant differences of overall score for the PRUQ among all nursing staff according to specialized education in geriatrics, t (40) = 3.60, P = 0.001. The mean of no specialized education in geriatrics group (M = 4.13) was higher than the mean of yes specialized education in geriatrics group (M = 3.69). Conclusion and Implications: Nursing staff showed positive attitudes towards restrains application with difference between Palestinian and Saudi Arabian nurses. Proper implementation and good awareness of the complications are prerequisite for application of physical restrains for patients.