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. 2009 Spring;20(1):15-9.
doi: 10.1155/2009/879357.

The impact of requiring completion of an online infection control course on health professionals' intentions to comply with infection control guidelines: A comparative study

Annalee Yassi  1 , Elizabeth A Bryce, Deirdre Maultsaid, Helen Novak Lauscher, Kun Zhao
Affiliations

The impact of requiring completion of an online infection control course on health professionals' intentions to comply with infection control guidelines: A comparative study

Annalee Yassi et al. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. 2009 Spring.

Abstract
in English, French

Background: Ensuring good infection control practice in health care facilities is a constant concern, yet evidence shows that the compliance of health care professionals with proper procedures is lacking, despite the existence of guidelines and training programs. An online infection control module was developed to provide ready access to training. Controversy exists about whether successfully completing such a course should be mandatory or strongly encouraged for all health care professionals. The objective of the present study was to compare the perception of safety culture and intention to comply with infection control guidelines in professionals who were required by their supervisors to take the course, and those who did so voluntarily.

Methods: Survey responses on learning environment, safety climate and intention to comply with infection control guidelines in health care professionals who were required to take the course (supervisor-required group [n=143]) and those who took the same course voluntarily (voluntary group [n=105]) were compared. Because randomization was thought to be too difficult to implement in the policy context in which the study was conducted, significant differences between the two groups were taken into account in the analysis.

Results: Those required to take the course had a significantly better perception of the institutional safety climate (P<0.001), and had a higher reported intention to comply with infection control guidelines (P=0.040) than those who took the course voluntarily.

Discussion: Requiring that staff complete a 30 min interactive online infection control module increased their intention to comply with infection control guidelines compared with those who voluntarily accessed this material based on promotional material. Consideration should be given to making the successful completion of an online infection control module a requirement for all health care professionals.

HISTORIQUE :: Il est toujours préoccupant d’assurer de bonnes pratiques de contrôle des infections dans les établissements de santé, mais selon les données probantes, les professionnels de la santé ne respectent pas les précautions nécessaires, malgré l’existence de lignes directrices et de programmes de formation. On a élaboré un cybermodule sur le contrôle des infections afin d’offrir un accès facile à la formation. On ne s’entend pas pour établir si tous les professionnels de la santé devraient être obligés ou fortement encouragés à le suivre. La présente étude visait à comparer la perception de la culture de la sécurité et l’intention de respecter les lignes directrices de contrôle des infections chez les professionnels obligés par leur superviseur à suivre le cours et chez ceux qui le suivaient volontairement.

MÉTHODOLOGIE :: On a comparé les réponses au sondage sur le milieu d’apprentissage, le climat de sécurité et l’intention de respecter les lignes directrices sur le contrôle de la sécurité des professionnels de la santé tenus de suivre le cours (groupe obligé par le superviseur [n=143]) à celles des professionnels qui l’avaient suivi volontairement (groupe de volontaires [n=105]). Puisqu’on jugeait l’aléation trop difficile à obtenir dans le contexte politique de l’étude, on a tenu compte d’importantes différences entre les deux groupes lors de l’analyse.

RÉSULTATS :: Ceux qui avaient dû suivre le cours avaient une perception beaucoup plus positive du climat de sécurité de l’établissement (P<0,001) et déclaraient une plus grande intention de respecter les lignes directrices de contrôle des infections (P=0,040) que ceux qui l’avaient suivi volontairement.

EXPOSÉ :: Exiger que les membres du personnel participent à un cybermodule interactif de 30 minutes sur le contrôle des infections accroît leur intention de respecter les lignes directrices de contrôle des infections par rapport aux professionnels de la santé qui y accèdent volontairement après avoir vu la documentation promotionnelle. Il faut envisager de rendre obligatoire la participation des professionnels de la santé à un cybermodule sur le contrôle des infections.

Keywords: Compliance; Hand hygiene; Infection control; Online education; SARS; Training.

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