Objective: Failure to adequately decontaminate patient equipment will increase the risk of transmission of infection between patients and may contribute to the development of hospital-acquired infections. In effect, full obedience towards the acceptable decontamination process by healthcare workers is required. The aim of this study was to assess decontamination practice and associated factors among nurses in hospitals of the southeast, Ethiopia.
Results: A total of 273 nurses participated in the study with a response rate of 98.9%. Of these respondents, the acceptable decontamination practice was found to be 49.1% [95% CI 43.2-54.9%]. Nurses who have reported good infection prevention practice were 7.313 times more likely to had acceptable decontamination practice than there counterpart [AOR = 7.313; 95% CI: 4.030, 13.272, p value = 0.000]. Nurses who were working in the department having instructive posters or guideline target on instrument processing were 2.675 times more likely to had acceptable decontamination practice [AOR = 2.675; 95% CI: 1.376, 5.200, p-value = 0.004]. This low decontamination practice among nurses is a concern and might make hospitalized patients prone to different pathogenic microorganisms, which in turn can increase the risk of healthcare-associated infections. Therefore, enhancing the current nurses' decontamination practice through considering those identified factors is crucial.
Keywords: Decontamination; Disinfection; Ethiopia; Nurses; Reusable medical equipment; Sterilization.