Nurses’ knowledge on nosocomial infections preventive measures and its associated factors in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections (NCIs) have been associated with several adverse outcomes including extended hospitalization, persistent disability, heightened antimicrobial resistance, amplified socio-economic disruption, and elevated mortality rates. The adoption of infection prevention strategies has the greatest tendency to significantly reduce the risk and occurrence of NCIs among the population, particularly in resource constrained health systems. This study assessed nurses’ knowledge on NCI preventive measures and its associated factors in Ghana. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to August 2021. A sample of 237 healthcare workers in the Hohoe Municipality was selected to participate in the study. Data was collected with a questionnaire designed in Google Forms and analyzed using Stata version 16.0. RESULTS: Overall, most of the participants (69.2%) were not knowledgeable about the preventive measures of NCIs. Nurses who were within the age group of 20–40 years [aOR = 0.25 (95% CI = 0.09–0.69), p = 0.007] and 41–60 years [aOR = 0.05 (95% CI = 0.01–0.29), p = 0.001] were significantly less likely to be knowledgeable about the preventive measures of NCIs compared to those who those aged less than 20 years. Nurses who attended in-service training or workshop were approximately 10 times more likely to be knowledgeable about preventive measures of nosocomial infection compared to those who had never attended in-service training or workshop [aOR = 9.55 (95% CI = 1.23–74.36), p = 0.031]. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that age and participation in-service training or workshop are significant factors that influence the knowledge of healthcare workers in preventive measures for nosocomial infections. These results highlight the importance of providing ongoing training and professional development opportunities to nurses to enhance their knowledge and improve their ability to prevent and control nosocomial infections. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for targeted training programs that consider the age of nurses, to ensure that training is tailored to their specific needs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-023-09942-2.