Factors influencing adherence to standard precautions among nursing professionals in psychiatric hospitals

Objective: Evaluate and correlate individual, work-related and organizational factors that influence adherence to standard precautions among nursing professionals of psychiatric hospitals in Sao Paulo. Method: An exploratory cross-sectional study conducted with 35 nursing professionals, using the assessment tool for adherence to standard precautions through the Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5. Results: Knowledge of the precautions received a high score (4.69); adherence received (3.86) and obstacles (3.78), while intermediaries and the scales of organizational factors received low scores (2.61). There was a strong correlation between the magnitude adherence scale and the personal protective equipment availability (r = 0.643; p = 0.000). The training scale for prevention of HIV exposure (p = 0.007) was statistically different between the nurses and nursing assistants. Conclusion: The organizational factors negatively contributed to adherence to standard precautions, indicating that psychiatric institutions lack safe working conditions, ongoing training and management actions to control infections.