Assessment of Knowledge and Adherence to Safe Injection Practices Among General Outpatient Nurses

African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery | Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 280–288

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJNM/000163

Original Research Article

Title: Assessment of Knowledge and Adherence to Safe Injection Practices Among General Outpatient Nurses

Names of Authors: Joseph L. Lemayan¹, Abdi I. Yusuf²

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Nursing, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
²School of Nursing and Midwifery, Amoud University, Borama, Somaliland

Abstract:
Unsafe injection practices inside busy outpatient departments present severe risks for the transmission of blood-borne viral pathogens among clinicians and patients alike. This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated baseline safety knowledge thresholds and observed injection adherence rates among nurses in high-volume outpatient settings. A sample of 125 practicing staff nurses was surveyed using a standardized safety index, backed by independent clinical safety observations across 300 injection procedures. The quantitative results demonstrated that while 88.0% of the nurses achieved excellent scores on theoretical transmission risks, actual observed compliance with universal safety mandates was significantly lower at 51.2% (p < 0.01). The most frequent procedural deviations included using single-dose medication vials for multiple patients (34.4%) and failing to clean vial rubber tops with a sterile alcohol swab before needle access (45.6%). Nurses cited extreme patient over-crowding and structural missing single-dose formulations as major reasons for practice workarounds. The study highlights a dangerous disconnect between safety knowledge and everyday clinical behaviors driven by resource limitations. Improving outpatient clinical safety demands immediate restock guidelines, mandatory sharp container proximity engineering, and routine, non-punitive safety audits.

Keywords: Safe Injection Practices; Outpatient Nursing; Clinical Adherence; Medication Safety; Cross-Infection; Universal Precautions.

Manuscript Timeline: Received August 08, 2026; Revised September 15, 2026; Accepted September 26, 2026; Published September 30, 2026.

Citation: Lemayan, J. L., & Yusuf, A. I. (2026). Assessment of Knowledge and Adherence to Safe Injection Practices Among General Outpatient Nurses. African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 14(9), 280–288. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJNM/000163

Subscribe to read the full article: https://internationalscholarsjournals.org/subscribe-to-read