Assessment of the cleaning and disinfection practices among healthcare workers in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) post-patient discharge

Introduction: Patients being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) pose a risk of developing common healthcare acquired infections. Healthcare workers (HCWs) must be well-equipped and knowledgeable to deliver effective cleaning and disinfection protocols to reduce the chances of hospital-acquired infections. Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of cleaning and disinfection after the discharge/death of patients among the HCWs in selected ICUs. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in selected ICUs of a tertiary care hospital. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants which included 106 staff nurses and 47 housekeeping staff and 110 events of cleaning and disinfection were observed. A structured knowledge questionnaire was used to collect the knowledge among the participants and a practice checklist was used to collect the practice regarding cleaning and disinfection separately from both staff nurses and housekeeping staff. The study was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Good knowledge was reported among 75 (70.8%) nursing staff and 28 (59.6%) housekeeping staff on cleaning and disinfection. It was found that in all the observed events, 110 (100%) of the HCWs had worn gloves and discarded the single-used items and linens of the patients. Conclusions: Most of the HCWs used good barrier techniques while at work and cleaning and disinfection practices were found to be appropriate in maintaining the ideal infection control practices in ICUs with compliance with the hospital policies