African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery

African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery | Vol. 14, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 69–77

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJNM/000140

Original Research Article

Title: Adherence to Infection Prevention Measures Among Neonatal Nurses in Urban Public Hospitals

Names of Authors: Grace M. Mwangi¹, Ruth N. Kamau²

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Nursing, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
²School of Nursing Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract:
Healthcare-associated infections inside neonatal intensive care units contribute significantly to newborn morbidity, requiring impeccable clinical hygiene behaviors. This structured observational study evaluated compliance rates and barriers regarding standard infection prevention and control (IPC) measures among neonatal nurses. A sample of 115 practicing neonatal nurses was monitored across three urban public hospitals utilizing a timed, non-participatory observation methodology over a 2-month timeframe. The observations revealed that overall hand hygiene compliance before initiating infant contact was low at 41.7%, whereas post-contact compliance reached 84.3% (p < 0.01). Correct execution of aseptic fields during peripheral intravenous line insertions was achieved in only 36.5% of monitored procedures. Major barriers to compliance reported by participants included severe nurse understaffing (88.7%), sporadic shortages of medical-grade hand rubs or clean running water (62.6%), and high patient turnover. Multivariable models showed that nurses who received routine feedback via clinical safety audits were 2.6 times more likely to preserve correct hygiene behaviors (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.34–4.98, p = 0.004). The findings indicate that clinical compliance is heavily undermined by poor infrastructure and high workloads. Elevating neonatal safety metrics requires sustainable structural resource tracking, clinical audits, and corrected staffing limits.

Keywords: Infection Prevention; Neonatal Nursing; Hand Hygiene; Clinical Compliance; Healthcare Infections; Patient Safety.

Manuscript Timeline: Received May 25, 2026; Revised July 08, 2026; Accepted July 24, 2026; Published August 17, 2026.

Citation: Mwangi, G. M., & Kamau, R. N. (2026). Adherence to Infection Prevention Measures Among Neonatal Nurses in Urban Public Hospitals. African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 14(8), 69–77.

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