Background: Health care workers (HCW) can be exposed to serious types of infections if they are not following proper infection control (IC) measures. No study has been performed to evaluate knowledge and awareness about IC policies and measures among medical students (MS) and interns in Taif region.
Aims & Objective: Our objective was to assess awareness and knowledge of MS and interns regarding IC measures.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional, interview- based survey included 144 trainees in hospitals [102 from the College of Medicine (CM) and 42 from the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS)], Taif university were enrolled in this study. Students and interns were invited to complete the questionnaire concerning awareness and knowledge about IC. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: The overall awareness was 64.6%. All the interns of the CM had attended an orientation course. About 74% of the MS and interns gave correct answers about IC. About 67% of the studied trainees had received training about IC policies. About 25% of the trainees had been exposed to needle stick (NS); splash of blood or body fluid (SBF); contact with non-intact skin (CNS); sharp objects (SO) or acquired infection (AI). Further training about IC was required by 78.5% of the studied trainees. About 65% of the trainees had received hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine, however, 55 % of those who received the vaccine did not complete the regimen.
Conclusion: A high number of MS and interns of both CM and CAMS were not adequately equipped with awareness and knowledge concerning IC. The majority of them require training and did not take or complete the regimen of HBV vaccine. Therefore, continued medical education and training programs should be started at the hospital level along with conferences to spread knowledge about IC.
Key words: Awareness, Knowledge, Infection control, Interns, Medical students.
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