- Title
- Knowledge and practice of radiographers regarding infection control in radiology department in Malawi
- Creator
- Nyirenda, Denis Charles Glad
- Subject
- Radiologic technologists
- Subject
- Radiography, Medical -- Practice Cross infection -- Prevention
- Date Issued
- 2017
- Date
- 2017
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MTech
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47848
- Identifier
- vital:40387
- Description
- Infection control is an essential cornerstone of clinical care at all healthcare settings. The changing pattern of infections emphasises the need for all healthcare workers, including radiographers, to implement and strictly adhere to standard infection control precautions (SICP) that will protect both patients and healthcare workers from healthcare associated infections (HAIs). However, implementing SICP can be difficult, especially if radiographers do not have adequate knowledge, and skilled practices, in infection control. As a practicing radiographer and a health educator, the researcher observed that there were discrepancies regarding implementation of SICP by radiographers in Malawi. No study has been conducted to explore and describe the knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in radiology departments in Malawi. There are also no infection control guidelines. These gaps led to this study being conducted. The aim of the study was to explore, and describe, knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in radiology departments in government referral hospitals in Malawi in order to develop a draft guideline for infection control to facilitate sound knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in these departments. The study took place in four government referral hospitals and followed a quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive design that was contextual in nature. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first one a self-administered questionnaire was used to explore and describe the knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in government referral hospitals in Malawi. The second one included the development of a draft guideline for infection control in order to facilitate sound knowledge and practices of radiographers regarding infection control in government referral hospitals in Malawi. In phase one, the research population consisted of 80 permanently employed radiographers. A census sampling method was used to select 62 respondents. The data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire that was developed based on a literature review. Some questions were adapted from an existing questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions and statements. It had four parts: demographic information (Part A), knowledge regarding infection control (Part B), practices regarding infection control (Part C), and additional relevant information (Part D). Descriptive and inferential statistics, with the help of a statistician, were used to analyse the data. The results of the study revealed that radiographers had average knowledge and practice in terms of infection control. The results revealed a significant association between age and knowledge (P<0.05). In phase two, a draft guideline was developed. The guideline’s content is based on 20 gaps identified in phase one of the study, as well as literature. The draft guideline consists of seven sets of recommendations: hand hygiene, personal hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), safe handling of sharps and sharp containers, decontamination and cleaning, housekeeping, and routine infection control practices. Reliability and validity were ensured. Ethical considerations were considered throughout the study. Respect for persons, beneficence and justice were adhered to. The study is the first in the field of radiography in Malawi. Results of this study should contribute to the body of knowledge of radiography practice. The results are to be used to inform practicing radiographers, heads of departments, the Ministry of Health and Population, and other health practitioners about the current practices and knowledge of radiographers in government referral hospitals in Malawi. The draft guideline should facilitate sound knowledge and practices regarding infection control among practicing radiographers in these departments. Recommendations include further development and implementation of the draft guideline, and radiography education and development of further research on infection control in the radiography profession, specifically in the African context.
- Format
- xviii, 168 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | DENIS NYIRENDA .pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |