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 R-2 of 0.68, with perceived barriers (beta=.62, P<.001), social norm (beta=.17, P<.01), and personal normative belief (beta=.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 (beta=.37, P<.001) and perceived behavioral control (beta=.23, P<.05). Moreover, high (n=116) and low intenders (n=40) differed on several normative beliefs (beta=.0003) and perceived barriers (beta=.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.