title: Influencing factors on use of standard precautions against occupational exposures to blood and body fluids among nurses in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how specific factors, including knowledge, attitude, use of protective devices, safety climate, workload, and nurses' behaviors can influence standard precautions in China through structural equation modeling techniques.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Although a number of empirical studies have been conducted, an investigation of how multiple variables influence behaviors of standard precautions among the nurses is still needed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted by selecting registered nurses from 25 public hospitals that operate approximately 500 beds located in different areas of Guizhou Province in China. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1000 nurses, and 964 (96.4%) completed questionnaires were returned. exploratory factor analysis was employed to examine associations of attitudes, protective devices, safety climate, workload, and nurses' behaviors with standard precautions. The identified factors were integrated in the proposed structural equation model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Protective devices had a positive and major influence on nurses' use of standard precautions. Knowledge had a positive impact on the use of standard precautions through attitude mediation, and the safety climate had a positive impact on the use of standard precautions. In contrast, increasing workload had a negative effect on the use of standard precautions. The factors affecting the use of standard precautions among nurses in order of decreasing effect size were: protective devices, knowledge, attitude, safety climate, and workload.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study offer valuable information for healthcare management regarding the use of standard precautions to reduce occupational exposure among nurses.
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College Zunyi 558400, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Mingtao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: The Zunyi Medical College Zunyi 558400, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Xuyao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College Zunyi 558400, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Hualian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College Zunyi 558400, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College Zunyi 558400, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College Zunyi 558400, Guizhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhixia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Xiangya Nursing School of Central South University (Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University) Changsha 410011, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Lezhi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Nurses; behavior; blood-borne pathogens; occupational exposure; standard precautions