article · East African Health Research Journal
Central line-associated bloodstream infections represent a severe complication for intensive care unit patients, leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased expenses, and higher mortality. In low-income countries, understanding how well healthcare providers comprehend infection prevention remains under-researched. An evaluation of 250 intensive care unit nurses across three tertiary hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, assessed knowledge of prevention practices using a 32-item questionnaire. The overall average score achieved was 52.2 percent, with only 28.2 percent showing high knowledge levels. Significant factors linked to higher competence included undergoing in-service training on central lines, having clinical prevention guidelines available in the workplace, and lacking pre-service central line instruction. These findings suggest that hands-on, workplace-based training and clear clinical guidance are critical components for enhancing nursing expertise and patient safety in critical care environments.
Hospital-acquired infections linked to central lines drive up patient mortality and healthcare costs. Because intensive care nurses provide primary bedside management for central lines, gaps in their knowledge directly compromise patient care. Demonstrating that practical in-service training and accessible workplace guidelines substantially improve clinical knowledge offers hospital administrators clear, actionable pathways to elevate standards of care and reduce preventable bloodstream infections.
This work points to practical opportunities for healthcare education providers and medical software developers to create standardised, workplace-ready training programmes and digital guideline tools for hospital intensive care staff. Potential end users include tertiary hospitals and nursing training organisations seeking to reduce clinical complications. As an observational assessment of clinical knowledge, the underlying research does not provide a market-ready tool and requires instructional design or software development to create commercial training products.
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Background: Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is one of the major complications for patients with central lines (CLs) and a leading hospital-acquired infection. This infection is associated with increased length of hospitalization, medical costs, high morbidity, and mortality. As primary caregivers for patients with CLs in the ICU, nurses are crucial in preventing CL-related infections and complications. Despite this key role, there is limited knowledge about ICU nurses’ understanding of CLABSI, especially in low-income countries like Tanzania. Aim: This study aimed to assess knowledge on CLABSI prevention strategies and associated factors among ICU nurses in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 250 ICU nurses in 3 tertiary hospitals. Data were collected from May to July 2023 using a self-administered questionnaire, with CLABSI knowledge assessed using 32 items. SPSS version 25 was employed to analyze data, and logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with knowledge of CLABSI prevention strategies. In all analyses, statistical significance was set at a p-value <.05. Results: The mean knowledge score was 52.2% (SD = 10.7), with a median of 50%. Among the participants, only 52 (28.2%; 95% CI: 22.6%–33.8%) demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding CLABSI prevention strategies and care. Receiving in-service CL training (AOR = 5.20; 95% CI: 1.79–15.07; p =.002), the availability of CLABSI prevention guidelines (AOR = 2.52; 95% CI: 1.05–6.03; p=.038), and the absence of pre-service CL training (AOR = 3.05; 95% CI: 1.33–6.97; p=.008) were significantly associated with higher knowledge of CLABSI prevention strategies and care. Conclusion: ICU nurses demonstrated generally inadequate knowledge of CLABSI prevention strategies, with less than one-third (28.2%) showing a high level of knowledge. In-service CL training, availability of CLABSI guidelines, and absence of pre-service training were significantly associated with higher knowledge, suggesting the strong influence of practical, workplace-based learning. Targeted in-service training and consistent provision of evidence-based guidelines are essential to strengthen ICU nurses’ competence, reduce CLABSI incidence, and improve patient safety.
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DOI: 10.24248/eahrj.v9i1.838
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