Prevalence and Knowledge of Preventive Practices for Work-Related Hazards Among Nurses in Enugu State

Abstract

Prevention of work-related hazards has been a difficult practice among nurses who work in hospitals and other various organizations in the world. This study investigated the prevalence and knowledge of preventive practices for work-related hazards among nurses in tertiary hospitals in Enugu State, Nigeria. Three research questions were formulated for the study. One null hypothesis was also tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study utilized the descriptive survey design. The population for the study was 1,509 nurses who worked in the four tertiary hospitals in Enugu state. A sample of 316 nurses was selected for the study using the proportionate sample technique. The instrument used for the study was the researcher designed Prevalence and Knowledge of Preventive Practices for Work-related Hazards (PKPPWrH) questionnaire. The instrument was validated by five experts and it yielded reliability coefficient of 0.79. Frequencies, percentages and Pearson’s Chi-square were used for data analysis. The result showed that nurses were exposed to work-related hazards, indicating highest exposure to ergonomic hazards and lowest exposure to chemical hazards. The finding equally revealed very high knowledge of preventive practices, showing highest knowledge on physical hazards and lowest knowledge on ergonomic hazards. The study further indicated that both the experienced and inexperienced nurses had high knowledge of preventive practices. However, the Chi-square result showed significant difference, revealing that the experienced workers possessed more knowledge than the inexperienced workers on preventive practices. The authors therefore recommended, among others, that the management should try and enforce laws, rules and regulations guiding adoption of preventive practices among the nurses to reduce the prevalence and protect nurses from the hazards of their jobs.