title: Compliance with Universal/Standard Precautions among health care workers in rural north India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Universal Precautions (UPs) and more recently Standard Precautions have been widely promoted in high-income countries to protect health care workers (HCWs) from occupational exposure to blood and the consequent risk of infection with bloodborne pathogens. In low-income countries, the situation is very different: UPs are often practiced partially, if at all, thereby exposing the HCWs to unnecessary risk of infection. The aim of this study is to describe rural north Indian HCWs knowledge and understanding of UPs and identify predictors of compliance to target intervention programs appropriately.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was undertaken, involving 266 HCWs (response rate, 87%) from 7 rural north Indian health care settings. Information was gathered regarding compliance with UPs and a range of other relevant variables that potentially influence compliance (eg, demographic information, perception of risk, knowledge of bloodborne pathogen transmission, perception of safety climate, and barriers to safe practice).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Knowledge and understanding of UPs were partial, and UPs compliance was suboptimal, eg, only 32% wore eye protection when indicated, and 40% recapped needles at least sometimes. After controlling for confounding, compliance with UPs was associated with being in the job for a longer period, knowledge of bloodborne pathogen transmission, perceiving fewer barriers to safe practice and a strong commitment to workplace safety climate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions to improve UPs compliance among HCWs in rural north India need to address not only their knowledge and understanding but also the safety climate created by the organizations that employ them.
authors.affiliation: Australian International Health Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. mkermode@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kermode
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jolley
authors.forename: Biangtung
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Langkham
authors.forename: Mathew Santhosh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Sandy M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gifford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D017053:Infection Control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012307:Risk Factors; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016635:Universal Precautions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*