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Effect of Infection Prevention Training on Infection Prevention Practices among Healthcare Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections remain an important public health and patient-safety concern in Nigeria and may increase morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs, length of hospital stay, and occupational risks among healthcare workers. Effective infection prevention and control (IPC) practices are essential for reducing the transmission of infectious agents within healthcare facilities. Infection prevention training provides healthcare workers with knowledge and practical skills related to hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, environmental cleaning, safe injection practices, waste management, sterilization, disinfection, respiratory hygiene, and appropriate management of occupational exposure. However, inadequate training, limited availability of IPC materials, shortage of trained personnel, overcrowding, poor compliance monitoring, inadequate water and sanitation facilities, and weak institutional support may affect the implementation of appropriate infection prevention practices in Nigerian healthcare facilities. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of infection prevention training on infection prevention practices among healthcare workers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Health Systems Framework. The Health Belief Model explains how healthcare workers' perceptions of infection risk, perceived severity, perceived benefits of IPC practices, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence compliance with infection prevention measures. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, skills, behavioural capability, observational learning, self-efficacy, and the healthcare environment in shaping infection prevention practices. The Health Systems Framework emphasizes service delivery, health workforce, availability of essential infection prevention supplies and technologies, health information, financing, governance, and facility infrastructure as important components of effective IPC programmes. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how infection prevention training may influence IPC practices among healthcare workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cross-sectional or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, midwives, community health workers, laboratory personnel, pharmacists, healthcare assistants, and other relevant healthcare personnel working in selected Nigerian healthcare facilities. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, healthcare facilities, departments, and eligible healthcare workers. Infection prevention training will be assessed using indicators such as participation in IPC training programmes, frequency of training, duration of training, training content, practical demonstrations, refresher training, trainer qualifications, availability of training materials, and post-training supervision. Infection prevention practices will be assessed using indicators such as hand hygiene, appropriate use of personal protective equipment, safe injection practices, waste segregation and disposal, environmental cleaning, sterilization and disinfection, respiratory hygiene, sharps safety, occupational exposure management, and adherence to standard precautions. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, direct observation checklists, training records, facility IPC registers, supervision reports, and relevant healthcare facility documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize healthcare workers' characteristics, training exposure, knowledge levels, and infection prevention practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of infection prevention training on IPC practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, infection prevention practice scores before and after structured training may be compared, while relevant healthcare-worker and facility-level factors are appropriately controlled. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that infection prevention training has a significant positive effect on infection prevention practices among healthcare workers in Nigeria. Healthcare workers who receive comprehensive and practical IPC training are expected to demonstrate better adherence to recommended infection prevention practices than those with limited or no recent training. Training may improve knowledge, practical skills, risk perception, confidence, and awareness of standard precautions, thereby promoting safer practices within healthcare facilities. However, training alone may not guarantee sustained compliance where healthcare workers lack access to hand hygiene facilities, personal protective equipment, disinfectants, safe waste-disposal systems, adequate staffing, or supportive supervision. Workload, overcrowding, institutional culture, inadequate monitoring, and inconsistent availability of IPC supplies may further affect adherence. The study therefore expects regular, practical, and competency-based infection prevention training, combined with adequate supplies, supportive supervision, and institutional commitment, to contribute significantly to improved infection prevention practices among healthcare workers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on infection prevention training, infection prevention and control, healthcare-associated infections, patient safety, occupational health, healthcare worker practices, healthcare quality, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, healthcare facilities, hospital management boards, healthcare professional bodies, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening IPC programmes. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for implementing regular competency-based IPC training, strengthening refresher training programmes, improving availability of IPC supplies and infrastructure, enhancing supportive supervision and compliance monitoring, improving hand hygiene facilities, strengthening occupational safety systems, and integrating infection prevention training into broader healthcare quality-improvement and patient-safety programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Infection prevention training, infection prevention practices, infection prevention and control, healthcare workers, healthcare-associated infections, patient safety, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, occupational health, Nigeria, public health.