Abstract

Inadequate hand-washing facilities have been reported as a barrier to hand washing. This study aimed to evaluate the availability and accessibility of hand-washing facilities and supplies of hand-washing agents in the outpatient department (OPD) complex of a tertiary care teaching hospital. A checklist containing 13 variables was prepared and all rooms of direct patient care in the OPD were assessed on one occasion. Out of 211 rooms surveyed, a hand-washing facility was available in 209 (99.05%) rooms. Among these, 206 (98.56%) sinks were easily accessible and were placed close to users. Almost all sinks (99.5%) had hand-operated taps. Thirty-five (16.75%) sinks had no soap stand, and at 21 (10.5%) sinks, soap stands were found to be broken. At 14 (6.70%) sinks, soap bars were not available, while an antiseptic agent was available at 6 (2.87%) sinks. Four (1.91%) sinks had no towel stand, and at 8 (3.83%) sinks the towel stands were broken. At 43 (20.57%) sinks no towel was available, and at 23 (11%) sinks the towels provided were dirty. No sink drain was found to be blocked. No sink had hand-washing instructions displayed demonstrating the correct technique of hand washing. Physical facilities required for hand washing were adequate though not perfect. There is a need to shift from hand-operated taps to non-manual taps and from cloth towels to paper towels. Hospital managers in developing countries should continuously strive to provide the best possible hand-washing facilities within their financial resources.

Highlights

  • Inadequate hand-washing facilities have been reported as a barrier to hand washing

  • The fact remains that in spite of advances in the health care system, patients are harmed every day in every country around the globe in the course of receiving health care, and patient safety in hospitals remains at risk from hospitalassociated infections (HAI) [1]

  • Alcohol-based hand products (ABHP) is not a standard practice in the outpatient department (OPD) of our hospital, we evaluated only the availability of a soap bar

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Summary

Introduction

Inadequate hand-washing facilities have been reported as a barrier to hand washing. This study aimed to evaluate the availability and accessibility of hand-washing facilities and supplies of hand-washing agents in the outpatient department (OPD) complex of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Results: Out of 211 rooms surveyed, a hand-washing facility was available in 209 (99.05%) rooms. Four (1.91%) sinks had no towel stand, and at 8 (3.83%) sinks the towel stands were broken. Hospital managers in developing countries should continuously strive to provide the best possible hand-washing facilities within their financial resources. The fact remains that in spite of advances in the health care system, patients are harmed every day in every country around the globe in the course of receiving health care, and patient safety in hospitals remains at risk from HAI [1]. The burden of HAI in India is poorly documented, and the Hospital Infection

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