International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a major patient-safety concern, contributing to increased morbidity, prolonged hospitalisation, and healthcare costs. Adherence to recommended infection-prevention practices by nurses is essential to reducing the risk of SSIs among surgical patients.
Objective: The study assessed surgical site infection prevention practices among surgical ward nurses at University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 nurses selected using purposive sampling from the surgical wards of University College Hospital, Ibadan. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing nurses' adherence to recommended SSI prevention practices and analysed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data at a 0.05 level of significance.
Result: The mean age of respondents was 35.21 ± 2.33 years, while 38.3% had 1–5 years of professional experience. The major SSI prevention practices assessed included hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, and adherence to aseptic techniques during wound dressing and other procedures. Overall, 59.2% of the nurses demonstrated effective SSI prevention practices, whereas 40.8% demonstrated ineffective practices. Education, availability of PPE, and workload were identified as important factors influencing adherence to SSI prevention protocols.
Conclusion: Although a majority of surgical ward nurses demonstrated effective SSI prevention practices, a substantial proportion showed inadequate adherence. Strengthening continuous infection-prevention training, ensuring consistent availability of PPE, and addressing workload challenges may improve compliance with SSI prevention protocols.
Unique Contribution: This study provides institution-specific evidence on SSI prevention practices among surgical ward nurses at a major Nigerian tertiary healthcare facility and identifies modifiable organisational factors that may influence adherence to recommended infection-prevention practices.
Key Recommendation: University College Hospital and similar healthcare institutions should implement regular competency-based SSI prevention training, ensure uninterrupted availability of appropriate PPE, and review nursing workloads to support consistent compliance with infection-prevention protocols.