Anesthetists knowledge, practices, and associated factors towards infection prevention in Addis Ababa public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Every year, hundreds of millions of individuals are afflicted by preventable illnesses in the health care system. In surgical patients in Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of nosocomial infection ranges from 2.5 to 30.9%. Anesthesia doctors have a direct impact on the risk of perioperative infection. In the operating theater, 7% of surgical patients have a healthcare-associated infection. According to a study, bacterial transmission in the OR anesthesia work area was linked to 30-day postoperative illnesses in as many as 16% of surgical patients. Objective: This study aims to assess anesthetists knowledge, practices, and associated factors towards infection prevention in xxx public hospitals. Method: ology: A cross-sectional survey of 220 anesthetists working in xxx hospitals was undertaken using standardized pretested and self-administered questionnaires. The information gathered was double-checked for accuracy before being entered into the EPI INFO7 software and then exported to SPSS version 24 for analysis. For bivariate and multivariable analysis, descriptive statistical analysis was done, and a logistic regression model was built. A 95% confidence level and an alpha of 0.05 were employed to determine the existence of a relationship between variables. Result: A total of 220 anesthetists took part. 82.7% (95% of CL: 77.7-87.7) and 48.2% (95% of CL: 41.4-55.4) of respondents were rated as knowledgeable about infection prevention and safe procedures, respectively. The presence of an infection prevention committee and recommendations is significantly linked to both knowledge and practice in infection prevention. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, the majority of anesthetists have a good understanding of infection prevention and nearly half of anesthetists have inadequate infection prevention practice. Infection prevention guidelines should be developed, enough supplies of personal protective equipment should be avail-able, and an infection prevention committee should be strengthened.