Sterilization: A Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Staff of Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: For a hospital to discharge its duty properly to safe guarding human life and to decrease in the incidence of nosocomial infections with corresponding increase in the mortality, length of stay and cost, it is necessary for a hospital to have a good CSSD set-up and an efficient working staff with adequate knowledge and practice of sterilization techniques. Moreover, the fatal disease AIDS became so powerful and spread worldwide, the demand for proper procedures for hospital infection control has gained momentum enormously. Diseases, such as Hepatitis B and C, are known to be transmitted through contaminated surgical instruments; there is a need to adopt stricter guidelines for disinfection and sterilization. Aim: The purpose of this study was to know the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding sterilization among health-care staff working in Central sterile supply department of Naland Medical College and Hospital, Patna. Methods: The study is a descriptive, observational, and hospital based which was carried out at our institution. The tools include observation check list and questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 11.0. Conclusion: We conclude that our hospital CSSD staff are having adequate knowledge and positive attitude and are highly practicing sterilization methods. We recommend every hospital to conduct such studies to assess the knowledge of their staff regarding sterilization and disinfection techniques on regular basis to prevent the nosocomial infections.