A survey of doctors' and nurses' knowledge, attitudes and compliance with infection control guidelines in Birmingham teaching hospitals

This study investigated knowledge about infection control amongst doctors and nurses through a cross-sectional survey conducted between March and May 2001 in three Birmingham, UK teaching hospitals. Seventy-five doctors and 143 nurses, representing 7% and 4%, respectively, of potential respondents, participated in the study measuring knowledge of, attitudes towards, and compliance with universal precautions. Overall knowledge of risks of blood-borne virus (BBV) transmission from an infected patient after needlestick injury was low [44.0% for hepatitis B virus (HBV), 38.1% for hepatitis C virus (HCV), 54.6% for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)]. There were significant differences between doctors and nurses concerning the estimations of HBV (e-antigen +) (P = 0.006) and HIV (P < 0.001) transmission risks. Eighty-six percent of nurses stated that they treat each patient as if they are carrying a BBV compared with 41% of doctors. Doctors and nurses differed significantly in their attitudes about and reported compliance with washing hands before and after patient contact and with wearing gloves when taking blood (P < 0.001 for all). Doctors consistently de-emphasized the importance of, and reported poor compliance with, these procedures. Doctors were also more likely to state that they re-sheath used needles manually than were nurses (P < 0.001). Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported that they had suffered a needlestick injury with a used needle, with doctors more likely to be injured than nurses (P = 0.005). Twenty-eight percent of these doctors and 2% of the nurses did not report their needlestick injuries (P = 0.004). Education, monitoring, improved availability of resources, and disciplinary measures for poor compliance are necessary to improve infection control in hospitals, especially amongst doctors. (C) 2003 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.