[Assessment of an educational program for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections]

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), based on Care Bundles.

Material and methods: A quasi-experimental study conducted in a university hospital from May 2011 to February 2012. An educational intervention (21 training sessions) was carried out in all Departments with the support of the contents in a leaflet, which included evidence-based Care Bundles for prevention of different HCAIs. The leaflet was also distributed through all Hospital Departments. We assessed the knowledge of health care workers (HCWs) as regards preventive measures before and after each training session using a self-administered questionnaire, and we studied the frequency of patients with HCAIs before and after the intervention.

Results: One-hundred-and-sixty-five out of 398 HCWs (41.5%) attended the training sessions. Their knowledge improved significantly, mainly in terms of: a) antimicrobial activity of alcohol-based solutions, b) preventive measures for cathether-associated urinary tract infections, and c) best place to insert a central venous catheter. These areas increased after training by 53.1, 29.7, and 28.2 points, respectively. There was a non-significant decrease in the incidence of patients with HCAIs by multiresistant microorganisms, and a non-significant increase in the prevalence of patients with HCAIs.

Conclusions: The educational program improved the knowledge of the HCWs about preventive measures for HCAIs, whereas the prevalence of patients with HCAIs did not show significant changes in the period of study.