Adherence to tuberculosis infection control guidelines by nurses in Lesotho

Tuberculosis prevention knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary health care nurses

“…Consistent with data from other contexts (Mugomeri et al, ), respondents in our study were concerned about acquiring TB while at work. Negative attitudes towards respirator use, as well as fear of acquiring TB at work, both have been suggested to be impediments towards TB infection control practice (Mugomeri et al, ; Woith et al, ). Furthermore, our findings suggest a lack of knowledge regarding fit‐testing of respirators.…”

“…The aims of the present study were (1) to describe PHC nurses' TB prevention knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a South African district and (2) to explore possible factors that influence and moderate TB prevention practices among this group of nurses. The study backs existing consensus regarding PHC nurses' suboptimal TB prevention knowledge, attitudes, and practices, supporting previous findings that underscore poor TB prevention among nursing staff on the front line of health care (Engelbrecht et al, ; Engelbrecht & Janse van Rensburg, ; Janse van Rensburg et al, ; Malangu & Mngomezulu, ; Mugomeri et al, ; Yükseltürk & Dinç, ). Our study fills a much‐needed gap in current literature in providing results from PHC settings, where nurses often face challenges regarding a lack of resources, training, and support, not to mention being the first contact for people who are infected with TB.…”

Knowledge and practices regarding tuberculosis infection control among nurses in Ibadan, south-west Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

“…On the other hand, studies in Northwest Ethiopia and Uganda did not show any significant association between it and age or work experience [26,27]. Regarding the practice of TBIC measures, investigators in Lesotho and Ethiopia observed that this was not associated with age, work experience and marital status of HCWs [9,25,28]. However, TBIC practice was reported to be significantly related to its knowledge in studies in South Africa and Ethiopia [15,26].…”

“…The increased risk of nosocomial TB transmission among HCWs has been well-documented and HCWs have a higher incidence of TB disease than the general population [3][4][5][6]. The increased exposure of HCWs to infectious TB patients, especially where there is inadequate implementation of TB infection control (TBIC) measures, accounts for the heightened risk [7][8][9]. Strict adherence to recommended control measures is required for effective TBIC.…”

“…Good knowledge of occupational TB exposure is known to positively influence the adoption of TBIC practices by HCWs [16,17]. HCWs have, however, been shown to have varying levels of knowledge and practices regarding TBIC and a good understanding of TBIC does not necessarily equate to adequate practice of the measures [9,18]. In addition to poor knowledge, identified barriers to effective implementation of TBIC include weak managerial support, poor funding, limited work space and inadequate staffing [19].…”