Appraisal of Infection Control Practices in Operating Theatres at Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, North West Nigeria

Operating theatre infection control is a determinant of surgical site infection rates and patient safety outcomes, and lapses in theatre practice represent a modifiable risk in Nigerian public hospitals. This study appraises infection control practices in the operating theatres at Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, North West Nigeria. A cross-sectional observational audit is conducted over a three-month period using a structured theatre infection control checklist adapted from the WHO Integrated Management for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care tool. Observations cover surgical hand scrub technique, sterile field maintenance, draping, traffic management, air exchange compliance, instrument sterilisation documentation, and use of personal protective equipment by theatre personnel. Fifty theatre sessions are observed by trained research assistants, supplemented by structured interviews with 30 theatre nurses and anaesthetic technicians on knowledge of infection control standards. Quantitative compliance scores are computed in SPSS. Evidence from theatre infection control audits in North West Nigeria identifies breakdown in sterile field maintenance and inadequate instrument sterilisation documentation as the most frequently observed deviations. The AORN Guidelines for Perioperative Practice and WHO Global Guidelines for Surgical Site Infection Prevention provide the normative assessment reference. Findings will support the hospital's theatre management committee on protocol compliance. Keywords: infection control, operating theatre, surgical site infection, Katsina, North West Nigeria.