Title
Evaluation of infection control practices in Riyadh Elm university hospitals: A cross-sectional questionnaire study
Authors
Shaista Haleem1,*, Yasmin Tarek Ahmed2, Ghousia Sayeed2, Aseel Hussain Alanazi1, Wasan Ibrahim Alismail1, Walaa Hamed Sharahili1 & Majd Abdullah Almalawi1
Affiliation
1Department of Applied Medical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Sciences, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Medicine and Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; *Corresponding author
Shaista Haleem - E-mail: shaista.haleem@riyadh.edu.sa, shaistahaleem@gmail.com
Yasmin Tarek Ahmed - E-mail: yasmine.tarek@riyadh.edu.sa
Ghousia Sayeed - E-mail: dr_ghousia@riyadh.edu.sa, docghousia@gmail.com
Aseel Hussain Alanazi - E-mail: aseel.h.alonizi2021@student.riyadh.edu.sa
Wasan Ibrahim Alismail - E-mail: wasan.i.khalaf2021@student.riyadh.edu.sa
Walaa Hamed Sharahili - E-mail: walaa.h.shraheli2021@student.riyadh.edu.sa
Majd Abdullah Almalawi - E-mail: majd.a.mohammed2021@student.riyadh.edu.sa
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received July 1, 2026; Revised July 31,
2026; Accepted July 31, 2026, Published July 31, 2026
Abstract
Infection control is an important issue in the provision of dental care services since those who provide care are exposed to blood, saliva, needles and aerosol. Therefore, it is of interest to determine the knowledge levels of university dental care staff regarding infection control, their attitude towards it and their practices. The study found that many respondents had knowledge regarding blood-borne viruses like HBV (77.2%), HIV (65.4%) and HCV (65.0%), but few had knowledge regarding tuberculosis (39.2%) and COVID-19 (37.6%). The best practices for autoclaving were 56.7%, changing gloves for each patient 67.3% and combining hand hygiene practices 55.5%. Thus, data shows the positive attitude and self-reported good practices, but knowledge gaps, respiratory protection, aerosol control and perceived barriers exist.
Keywords
Dental infection control; infection prevention; cross-sectional survey; knowledge attitude practice (KAP); personal protective equipment; sterilization
Citation
Haleem et al. Bioinformation 22(7): 3896-3901 (2026)
Edited by
Vini Mehta
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
