Socio-demographic influence of safety practices among healthcare workers in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined the socio-demographic influence of safety practices among healthcare workers in the Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State. To achieve this study, four objectives and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted for the study with a population of 629 in the Port Harcourt metropolis. The sample size of 245 was drawn from the entire population using the Taro Yamane formula. The instrument for this study was a structured questionnaire titled: Health Workers Occupational Hazards and Safety Practices Questionnaire (HWOHSPQ). The instrument for the study was validated for content and face validity by experts in Public Heath, Health Education and Statistics. The validated instrument had a reliability coefficient of 0.87 indicating that the instrument was reliable for the study. The questionnaire was administered to the health workers by the researcher and three research assistants. The data collected from this study were collated and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS). The result of the study that there was no significant difference in the safety practices among healthcare workers in primary healthcare facilities based on gender was rejected (p = 0.00). The result showed that there was no significant difference (p = 0.330). Also, the result of the findings depicted that there was no significant difference in the safety practices among healthcare workers in primary healthcare facilities in Port Harcourt Metropolis based on years of work experience was not rejected (p = 0.970). The result of the study stated that there was no significant difference in the safety practices among healthcare workers in primary healthcare facilities in Port Harcourt Metropolis based on age was not rejected. The study concluded that safety practices were good and differed in socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, and work experience. It was recommended that the government through the ministry of health should ensure that safety devices and wear are supplied to the primary healthcare facilities so that healthcare workers will be able to have access to and utilize it to reduce exposure to hazards.