Abstract / Summary
Compliance with Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices: Associated Factors and Impact on Healthcare Workers in Paracelis District Hospital. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is critical to patient safety and occupational health, yet compliance remains suboptimal especially in district-level hospitals where resources and staffing are limited. This study aims to assess compliance with core IPC practices, its associated factors, and occupational impact among healthcare workers in Paracelis District Hospital, Paracelis, Mountain Province.The study will employ a quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design. Using total enumeration or proportionate stratified sampling, all eligible healthcare workers currently employed with at least three months of service and with direct or potential exposure to patients or infectious materials will be included. Participants include registered nurses, physicians, midwives, nursing assistants/attendants, medical technologists, radiologic personnel, and other allied health workers.A structured questionnaire developed from WHO standard precautions framework and recent empirical literature will be utilized. It consists of six parts: (1) demographic and professional profile (age, sex, professional category, educational attainment, years of service, department/unit, employment status, and previous IPC training); (2) knowledge on core IPC; (3) attitude toward IPC; (4) compliance along eight domains — hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, sharps safety, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, safe injection practices, healthcare waste management, environmental infection prevention, and transmission-based precautions; (5) organizational factors including availability of supplies/facilities, organizational support and supervision, workload and staffing conditions, and safety climate; and (6) occupational impact such as needlestick/sharps injury, blood and body fluid exposure, respiratory exposure, perceived infection risk, work disruption/absenteeism, and exposure-related concerns.The instrument undergoes expert content validation using Item-Level and Scale-Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI/S-CVI) and pilot testing for reliability using Cronbach's alpha. Data will be gathered after securing ethics clearance and institutional permission, with informed consent. Data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to determine compliance levels, differences when grouped by profile, and significant relationships between individual/organizational factors and compliance.Findings will serve as empirical basis for an evidence-based IPC Enhancement Plan to strengthen compliance, organizational support, and occupational safety in the hospital.