Instrument processing is important in working to create an environment which is free of infection. It is important that the clinic staff, including healthcare providers to cleaning and maintenance, should clearly understand the rationale for each of the recommended infection prevention processes 1. In health care facilities, infections are the foremost public health problems. This problem has a worldwide distribution. The transmission of infection could be from client to client, staff to client, client to staff, and from the health institution’s environment to clients and staff 2.
Hospital cleaning is an element of infection control which is neglected. Comprehensive was cleaning found to interrupt the chain of infection between the organisms and patients 3. In health care environments, using chemicals with toxic characteristics necessitates further protection for health care workers. In addition to worker safety, patient safety is needed to be considered when selecting probably hazardous chemicals to be used in the health care setting 4.
There is contact between a surgical instrument or medical device and a sterile tissue or mucous membrane of the patient during all the invasive procedures involved. During these procedures, there is a substantial risk of pathogenic microbes introduction that could lead to infection 5. Since there has been an increase in many infectious diseases because of inadequate sterilization, sterilization and disinfection in hospitals is a significant concern for both medical and community 6. Reuse happens frequently for both single use and multiuse medical devices. The protocols for reprocessing and sterilization exist for many devices that are commonly reused 7.
Reusable medical equipment carries a risk which is associated with breach of the host barriers, if there is a failure to properly disinfect or sterilize them. The level of disinfection or sterilization dependent on the intended use of the object like critical items, semicritical items, and noncritical items which require sterilization, high-level disinfection, and low-level disinfection, respectively 5.
HAIs are among the main complications of modern medical therapy, of which those related to invasive devices are the most important HAIs: These are; central line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter associated urinary tract infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and surgical site infection 8. The hospitals in all countries around the world have faced common problems and difficulties because of HAIs 9.
HAIs leads to momentous morbidity and mortality. Despite the considerable progress in HAIs prevention has been made over the past decade, many chances for upgrading remain and new challenges continue to arise 10. HAIs increases patients’ length of stay, higher inpatient costs, and of mortality 11. HAIs are a substantial public health concern both in the United States and abroad. It contributes to augmented morbidity, mortality, and health care costs 12. HAIs are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients 13. HAIs occur commonly and cause momentous harm to patients and lead to excess healthcare expenditure 14. HAIs leads to considerable increases in healthcare costs, morbidity, and mortality. The case fatality rate from 2.3–14.4%, which depends on the type of infection 8.
Estimating the burden of HAIs compared to other communicable diseases is a continuing challenge 15. HAIs caused by antibiotic-resistant gram-negative pathogens were led to a noteworthy enlarged length of stay and higher hospital costs when compared to those caused by their susceptible counterparts 16. Disinfection and sterilization in hospitals is of increasing concern because nosocomial infections affect 1 out of 10 patients admitted to the hospital and it is associated with major morbidity, mortality, and increased financial burden 17. However, the evidence revealed that at least 20% of all nosocomial infections as probably preventable 18. Infections by multidrug-resistant organisms are common in hospitals in particular and are a worldwide threat 19.
The patients and their careers would be benefited from an effective infection control programme. It will release significant health care resources for alternative use 20. The study revealed that about 65–70% of cases of catheter-associated bloodstream infections, and 55% of cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia and surgical site infections may be preventable 21. It is likely that restoring hygienic standards in hospitals is a method of controlling HAIs, which is would be cost-effective 3.
However, the control of infection and prevention of healthcare associated infections is a continuing problem globally. The healthcare workers’ practice is still reported as suboptimal and these infections persist, despite the initiatives and strategies to lessen the burden of infection 22. The protection of patients from the problems related to HAIs necessitates the allocation of adequate financial resources, scientific research, and a strong commitment from all healthcare providers 10. The standard precautions are suggested to avoid transmission of infection in hospitals. But, the implementation is reliant on the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers 23. Having poor level of awareness and practice of infection control creating a significant risk of HAIs for patients and staff 24.
As explained above, the magnitude of HAIs is growing globally. This causes considerable morbidity and mortality. However, there is a limitation of the studies that have addressed knowledge, attitude and associated factors of instrument processing among nurses working in the study setting, including worldwide. Therefore, this study was intended to assess knowledge, attitude and associated factors of instrument processing among nurses working at Asella Referral and Teaching Hospital, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.