Infection Prevention and Control Compliance among Healthcare Workers in a Regional Hospital in Ghana: Assessing the Role of IPC Facility Availability and Safety Precautions

<p>Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) remains a critical component of healthcare delivery due to its role in reducing healthcare-associated infections and protecting healthcare workers from occupational exposure. Despite the existence of IPC guidelines and safety protocols, compliance among healthcare workers remains inconsistent in many healthcare settings, particularly in low-resource countries. The study assessed Infection Prevention and Control compliance among healthcare workers at Sunyani Regional Hospital in Ghana, with emphasis on the role of IPC facility availability and institutional safety precautions in influencing compliance practices. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed among 537 healthcare workers at Sunyani Regional Hospital. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, availability of IPC facilities, institutional safety precautions, and healthcare workers’ compliance with IPC practices. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select respondents. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, were used to present the findings. The findings revealed relatively high compliance with hand hygiene (72.1%), aseptic techniques (70.7%), glove usage (69.3%), and PPE replacement (58.6%) among healthcare workers. Cleaning materials (71.7%), hand hygiene resources (79.9%), waste collection materials (91.2%), and post-exposure prophylaxis services (75.8%) were generally available within the hospital. Institutional safety precautions such as hand hygiene enforcement, sterilization procedures, environmental disinfection, and waste segregation practices were also widely implemented. However, lower compliance was observed in the use of face shields, protective glasses, and water-repellent boots. The study concluded that healthcare workers at Sunyani Regional Hospital demonstrated satisfactory IPC compliance, largely supported by existing institutional safety precautions and availability of IPC resources. However, improving PPE availability, strengthening institutional supervision, and enhancing continuous training may further improve comprehensive IPC adherence and occupational safety among healthcare workers.</p>