Abstract: Objective To explore the correlation between the hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) safety culture and medical staff's compliance with infection prevention and control measures; and to identify strategies for enhancing compliance. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in seven tertiary medical institutions in Nantong, Jiangsu Province Medical staff from different clinical departments were enrolled through simple random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires with self-completion method. Results A total of 1 707 medical staff participated in the investigation, most of whom were female (1 519 cases). Among them, 988 were under 30 years old, 719 were 30 years old and older. Most participants were nurses (1 587 cases). Clinical teachers (OR=1.883) and medical staff who had direct contact with patients with HAIs (OR=2.071) demonstrated better compliance with IPC measures. The score of Leadership Emphasis (OR=1.564), HAI event reporting (OR=1.219), IPC Improvement (OR=1.361), Management Incentives (OR=1.548), Education and Training (OR=1.486), Staffing (OR=1.618), and working environment (OR=1.262) were all positively correlated with better compliance with IPC measures (all P<0.05). Conclusion The formation of a hospital HAIs safety culture is closely related to medical staff's compliance with IPC measures.

Key words: Hospital-acquired infections, Safety culture, Medical staff, Infection prevention and control