Determinants of nurses’ adherence to Universal Precautions for venipunctures

Objectives: The aim of this study was to predict and explain nurses’ adherence to Universal Precautions (UPs) when performing venipunctures. Methods: Data were gathered from 156 registered nurses working at a regional hospital. A self-administered questionnaire assessing the psychosocial variables (intention, attitude, subjective norm, perceived control, etc) was completed at baseline, and behavior was self-reported 3 months later. Results: The regression of intention on the variables yielded an adjusted R2 of 0.68, with perceived barriers (β = .62, P< .001), social norm (β = .17, P< .01), and personal normative belief (β = .19, P< .01) being the significant variables. With respect to the 3-month follow-up, 28% of the variance associated with UPs adherence was explained by intention (β = .37, P< .001) and perceived behavioral control (β = .23, P< .05). Moreover, high (n = 116) and low intenders (n = 40) differed on several normative beliefs (P = .0003) and perceived barriers (P = .0001). Conclusions: It is suggested that perception of control, assessed either globally or by means of a belief-based measure, is a key factor in adherence. Specifically, the perceived difficulties associated with adherence to UPs appear to be related to a nurse’s training on UPs and to the existence of suboptimal working conditions.