Knowledge and perception of nosocomial infections among patients in a Nigerian hospital

Abstract Background Nosocomial infections are infections that are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients, and can lead to higher healthcare costs and longer hospital stays in both developed and developing countries. The objectives of the study were to identify the level of knowledge and perception of patients on nosocomial infection, and to determine the factors affecting the knowledge and perception of patients on nosocomial infection in Federal Medical Centre, Ebute-Metta, Lagos (FMC). Methods A cross- sectional research design was used in carrying out the research among in-patients of FMC where an interview-based semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Patients’ knowledge was categorised as good (≥ 70% score), fair (50–69%) and poor (< 50% score) while perception was grouped as positive and negative. Independent sample T-test and One-way Analysis of Variance was used to assess statistical difference in knowledge scores between categorical variables with 2 and 3 groups respectively. Results A total of 102 patients gave consent to participate in this study of which 46.1% were male, 27.5% were aged between 38 and 47 years and 69.6% were married. About 24% did not know what is meant by nosocomial infections while 53.9% stated that all hospital-acquired infections are preventable. 18.6% strongly disagreed that making alcohol rubs mandatory for all visitors would decrease the incidence while all strongly agreed that if left untreated can become life-threatening. Overall, 15.7% showed good knowledge while most patients (51%) showed a negative perception of nosocomial infections. Conclusion This study showed that most patients had fair knowledge as well as negative perception towards nosocomial infections. Factors such as gender, age, and educational qualification had an influence on patients’ perception and knowledge of nosocomial infection.