A pilot study to investigate patients reported knowledge, awareness, and beliefs on health care–associated infection

BackgroundHealth care–associated infections (HCAIs) remain a concern for patients, staff, and health care organizations. There is a lack of relevant literature on patients' views and opinions of infection control services.MethodA descriptive study of 110 patients was undertaken utilizing a developed questionnaire to investigate patients' knowledge, perceptions, and beliefs around HCAIs.ResultsRespondents believed they were well aware of the risks of HCAI before hospital admission, but their knowledge on routes of transmission and prevention of infection was poor. Twenty-eight percent of the respondents were able to name Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as contributing to HCAIs. Patients' main sources of information about infections were newspapers and television.ConclusionPatients have a high level of awareness of the risk of HCAI but have little knowledge about how infections spread or about their prevention.