The Outcomes of Applying Nursing Practice Guidelines in Prevention and Control of Antimicrobial Resistant Infections at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital

Abstract

Drug-resistant infections are a major problem of public health systems. Using the nursing practice guidelines is necessary for prevention and control of antimicrobial-resistant infection. This descriptive research aimed to study the outcomes of using nursing practice guidelines in prevention and control of antimicrobial-resistant infection at Nopparat Rajathanee hospital. Data were collected from October 2019 to March 2020, using the Antimicrobial-Resistant Infection Prevention and Control Practices Assessment Form and Antimicrobial-Resistance Record Form. Data were analyzed by frequency and percentage.

The findings showed that after implementation of the nursing practice guideline, antimicrobial-resistant infections were found in 12 wards from 4 departments—critical, medical, surgical, and orthopedic, which consisted of 156 nurses in total. Most of them complied with the guidelines at a high level. The practices that were performed 100% included hand washing according to the principle of 5 moments, gloves removal and hand washing after each activity, and separation of patients’ personal belongings. The practice that was performed less than 80% was, to isolate the patient into a separate room or a separate area. Nurses in the critical department mostly complied with the guidelines (98.2%), whereas those from surgical department were minimal compliance (88.4%). After applying the nursing practice guidelines, antimicrobial-resistant infections were decreased.  Therefore, prevention and control of antimicrobial-resistant infections should be continually developed to support 100% compliance with the guidelines to save patients from antimicrobial-resistant infections in the hospital.