Abstract
Background: Hand hygiene is a simple and effective practice that reduces the transmission of hospital acquired infections. However, adherence to hand hygiene guidelines among health care professionals is low. The aim of this study is to assess hand hygiene practices among nurses working in hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: The standardized version of the World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire was administered to nurses from six hospitals in the region of Asir. Results: 300 nurses were approached to enroll 243 participants so the response rate was 81%. The study found that 65.4% (159) of the participants followed a good hand hygiene practice while 10.3% (25) showed inadequate hand hygiene practice. Good hand hygiene practice was found to be significantly higher among female participants (88%) than the male participants (44%). The participants from the department of internal medicine (43.5%) showed the highest percentage of inadequate hand hygiene practice while participants from the department of pediatrics reported a 100% good hand hygiene practice. Conclusion: The male nurses and nurses working in the department of internal medicine require in-service educational intervention regarding hand hygiene to increase their compliance with its practice . Posters and other visual aids highlighting the significance of hand hygiene need to be displayed in all the departments to sensitize the importance of hand hygiene among nurses.
Highlights
Hand hygiene is a simple and important procedure that prevents the spread of healthcare-associated infections within hospital settings
The male nurses and nurses working in the department of internal medicine require in-service educational intervention regarding hand hygiene to increase their compliance with its practice
Posters and other visual aids highlighting the significance of hand hygiene need to be displayed in all the departments to sensitize the importance of hand hygiene among nurses
Summary
Hand hygiene is a simple and important procedure that prevents the spread of healthcare-associated infections within hospital settings. As a cost-effective intervention, hand hygiene plays a vital role in infection control and ensures the safety of patients in health care organizations [1]. The World Health Organization projects that the prevalence of hospital acquired infections is about 5-10% in the. There is sufficient evidence from the previously published literature mentioning that infections can cause severe adverse effects on patients and can result in prolonged hospital stays, pneumonia and even death [6]. The presence of hospital acquired infections increases the economic burden within households and raises the cost of the health care delivery system in the country [7]. Hand hygiene is a simple and effective practice that reduces the transmission of hospital acquired infections.
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