Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Infection Prevention in Cancer Patients Among Registered Nurses in the inpatient Udornthani Cancer Hospital

Abstract

Infections in cancer patients is a leading cause of death in patients. The practices of registered nurses are very important in preventing infections among cancer patients. This study is a part of thesis; descriptive correlational study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses regarding infection prevention in cancer patients, and to study the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses regarding infection prevention in cancer patients. The participants were 60 registered nurses who were working in the inpatient units in Udornthani Cancer Hospital under the Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health. Data were collected between June and November 2017. Research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of four parts: demographic data, knowledge of preventing infections in cancer patients, attitudes towards preventing infections in cancer patients, and practices of preventing infections in cancer patients. The content validity of the questionnaire was examined by five experts. The content validity index was 1.0. The reliability of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices questionnaire were 0.72, 0.90 and 0.87 respectively. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses regarding preventing infections in cancer patients was analyzed by using the Spearman Correlation Coefficients. The research findings showed that the participants had knowledge of preventing infections in cancer patients at a high level with a median score of 20 out of 25 points. The samples had attitudes and practice regarding preventing infections in cancer patients at a high level and very agree with questions. It was also found that the participants’ knowledge of and attitudes regarding preventing infections in cancer patients did not correlate with a statistical significance of 0.05 (r = 0.355) and the knowledge did not correlate with the participants’ practices of preventing infections in cancer patients (r =0.068).While the attitudes and practices of the participants regarding preventing infections in cancer patients were positively correlated at a low level with a statistical significance of 0.05 (r = 0.390 ).The results of this research can be used as baseline information and guidance on planning to promote knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding preventing infections in cancer patients among registered nurses in hospitals of cancer under the Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health.