An assessment of infection prevention and control in hospitals in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) programs are important in controlling healthcare associated infections (HAIs). In low and middle income countries, IPC programs targeting HCAIs are frequently underdeveloped and sometimes nonexistent. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess and identify gaps in IPC practice across selected hospitals in Akwa Ibom State. Methods: This was a survey of hospitals in Akwa Ibom State in Southern Nigeria. Information for each hospital was provided by IPC representatives of each hospital through a 24 point questionnaire covering administrative controls, hand hygiene, available laboratory tests for infections, and waste disposal. Results: There were 25 hospitals across 15 local government areas in the state included in the survey. The average number of beds in the hospitals was 57 (6–300); the average number of wards was 6 (1–20); the average number of staff was: doctors 9 (2–40); nurses 33 (6–200); other staff 19 (3–100). There were 16 hospitals with a designated staff to oversee IPC activities, 4 with a staff dedicated to IPC activities, and one with a written IPC policy. Adequate number of hand washing stations was reported in 11 centers while 9 had regular supply of running water and 9 had regular supply of alcohol based hand sanitizers for hand hygiene. There was low capacity for onsite microbiology cultures to identify infectious agents, although most centers had HIV and hepatitis B virus rapid diagnostic test kits. Conclusion: There are variable levels of implementation of IPC in hospitals in Akwa Ibom State with a lack of structure, guidelines, and resources being a hindrance to high level of IPC in these hospitals.