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style="font-size: 12pt / line-height: 115% / font-family: &quot / Times New Roman&quot / ,&quot / serif&quot / ">This study has reveled the levels of knowledge and compliance towards Universal Precautions and examined the factors that are influential in having a positive and negative effect on their adoption by healthcare practitioners in practice. Despite acceptable knowledge regarding the potential for infection and mechanisms to prevent these infections, this study has found out that health care workers are not as compliant with universal precautions as they need to be. The findings that compliance correlated directly with knowledge, with in-service training and with availability of protective equipment, provide important indications for future interventions. Therefore a regular on job refreshing training program on Universal Precautions, a written guideline and reminder poster on Universal Precautions and personal protective equipment need to be made available for all health care providers in every department of the hospital for better compliance. <span style="">&nbsp / </span><span style="">&nbsp / </span><span style="">&nbsp / </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

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style="font-size: 12pt / line-height: 115% / font-family: &quot / Times New Roman&quot / ,&quot / serif&quot / ">This study has reveled the levels of knowledge and compliance towards Universal Precautions and examined the factors that are influential in having a positive and negative effect on their adoption by healthcare practitioners in practice. Despite acceptable knowledge regarding the potential for infection and mechanisms to prevent these infections, this study has found out that health care workers are not as compliant with universal precautions as they need to be. The findings that compliance correlated directly with knowledge, with in-service training and with availability of protective equipment, provide important indications for future interventions. Therefore a regular on job refreshing training program on Universal Precautions, a written guideline and reminder poster on Universal Precautions and personal protective equipment need to be made available for all health care providers in every department of the hospital for better compliance. <span style="">&nbsp / </span><span style="">&nbsp / </span><span style="">&nbsp / </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

Magister Public Health - MPH / This study has reveled the levels of knowledge and compliance towards Universal Precautions and examined the factors that are influential in having a positive and negative effect on their adoption by healthcare practitioners in practice. Despite acceptable knowledge regarding the potential for infection and mechanisms to prevent these infections, this study has found out that health care workers are not as compliant with universal precautions as they need to be. The findings that compliance correlated directly with knowledge, with in-service training and with availability of protective equipment, provide important indications for future interventions. Therefore a regular on job refreshing training program on Universal Precautions, a written guideline and reminder poster on Universal Precautions and personal protective equipment need to be made available for all health care providers in every department of the hospital for better compliance.

This study describes the personal experience of heath care workers after a needle stick injury. The process of enquiry is embedded in a post modernistic ecosystemic perspective to elicit common themes in the health care workers’ (HCW) experiences of a Needle stick injury (NSI). Themes that emerged related mainly to the participants experience after having had a NSI. In the HCW environment HIV/AIDS is very well known disease. It is ironic that the HCW system at large is in denial regarding the dangers which the HCW’s face on a day to day basis working in a ‘mine field’ where every patient is a potential life threat to the HCW. From an ecosystemic stance one can clearly see the ecological principle at play. The HCW system seems to be stuck in a negative feedback process as the status quo is maintained by the defence/coping mechanisms. Adaptation seems to be limited. This inability to compensate leads to the disillusionment of the HCW who has to use ‘acceptable’ defence/coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma of being threatened by HIV/AIDS. The researcher found it constructive to use psychodynamic language, as defence mechanisms are psychodynamic concepts, to describe the process of the HCW system. As Keeney (1983) said that we are not surrounded, in a world of opposition, but rather in a realm of both/and dichotomies. The one cannot exit without, nor be discarded for, the other. Therefore, it could be suggested that an understanding of both systems and psychodynamic concepts may be a helpful tool in understanding and describing the processes of human interaction within an ecosystemic framework. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Magister Curationis - MCur / Background: Health care workers who sustain needle stick injuries are at risk of contracting blood-borne pathogens, e.g. Human Immunodeficiency Virus,Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus. Needle stick injuries are viewed as occupational hazards that can lead to health care workers developing acute or chronic diseases, which may lead to disability or death. Due to these healthrelated risks, health care workers are encouraged to adhere to universal precautions and standard operating procedures. In South Africa, the Occupational Health and Safety Act promulgated in 1993 required institutions draw up protocols in line with the regulations of the Act. However, if the health care workers do not comply with the protocols they may not be compensated for contracting a disease, e.g. Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection, following needle stick injuries. Aim: The aim of the study was to explore the health care workers’ perceptions of the needle stick injury protocol at a level 2 hospital in Cape Town. Research design: A qualitative approach was used to make sense of health care workers’ compliance to the protocols when sustaining a needle stick injury. An exploratory descriptive, contextual design was used to carry out an in-depth investigation of the phenomenon. Sample: The study was done at Mowbray Maternity Hospital, a level 2 obstetric hospital in Cape Town. The researcher made use of convenience, purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the research data. Data collection: During the data collection phase, ethical considerations towards participants were ensured to include, among others, anonymity, autonomy and confidentiality of information. Data analysis: It included the following steps: reading and rereading,coding, displaying, reducing and interpreting the data. Findings: Some health care workers do not view sustaining a needle stick injury as risky enough to report the injury or even go for follow-up testing. This risky behaviour can have detrimental effects on their health. There is also a lack of knowledge about the institutional needle stick injury protocol. Recommendations: It is recommended to have educational and training sessions for all health care workers and new employees to familiarise them with the needle stick injury protocol and policies of the institution; to provide adequate management support 7 following work related injuries and to make health care workers aware of the consequences of non-compliance to institutional protocol.