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KNOWLEDGE, AWARENESS, AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS INFECTION CONTROL IN THE OPERATING ROOM AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AND INTERNS IN TAIF UNIVERSITY, SAUDI ARABIA

Mohammad Eid Mahmoud Mahfouz, Yousef Abduljabbar Alzilfi*, Nawaf Saeed Alosaimi, Saif Saleh Alhamyani, Muath Suwaileh Alsawat, Hassan Othman Abdullah Alshehri, Meshari Mesfer Mastour Althobaiti

Background: Sticking to infection control measures in general practice is very crucial for the safety of both patients and healthcare team. The situation is more critical in operating rooms were a risk of life-threatening infections for the patient in addition to hazardous exposure of operative team to sharp utensils and biological wastes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the behaviors of students and practitioners in Taif, Saudi Arabia regarding infection control measures in an operative setting. Design and Setting: A multicenter, cross-sectional prospective study that was done in College of Medicine and College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Saudi Arabia after an infection control course. 195 participants responded to a questionnaire. Only participants who filled the questionnaire were included in the analysis. Statistical analysis: Data were represented as frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Mean, standard deviations (SD), were used to describe numerical variable. Student t test was used to compare numerical variables between the subgroups. IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science; IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) was used to perform all statistical calculations, version 21 for Microsoft Windows. Results: Interns had better responses compared to students regarding their awareness (p=0.046), attitude (p=0.016) and overall behavior (p=0.029) toward infection control in operating rooms. Attending either college or hospital courses on infection control can improve knowledge and awareness of healthcare professionals. Conclusion: National continuous educational programs on infection control are highly recommended. Further studies from other regions in Saudi Arabia are needed. Keywords: Infection control, surgery, complications, sterility, operating room.

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