Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice to promote hand hygiene among undergraduate medical and nursing students in a teaching hospital

Abstract

: A considerable number of epidemiological evidences proved that efficient hand hygiene practices has reduced the risk of infection cross-transmission in hospital facilities. Despite the effortlessness and simplicity of the practice, compliance with hand hygiene among health care workers has been relatively very less. There is a significant lack of evidence regarding infection control training among undergraduate medical and nursing students, hence it becomes essential to re-examine the efficacy of our hand hygiene sessions and conduct programs, CMEs, workshops frequently to keep health care workers sensitized and oriented towards hand hygiene.: The present study was undertaken to assess the overall exposure of medical and nursing students towards basic hand hygiene practices through a knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire based cross- sectional study. 100 medical and 100 nursing students were grouped into good, moderate and poor categories, based on scores from the questions testing the overall knowledge of hospital acquired infections, attitude towards hand hygiene and actual practice at the field level.: The present study showed poor knowledge among medical and nursing students i.e 41% and 60% of the participants respectively. Nursing staff showed good attitude when compared to medical students (71% and 56%). Regardless of the knowledge, practice of hand hygiene was good in both the groups 59% of medical and 71% of nursing students. On the whole, in comparison nursing population displayed better results compared to undergraduate medical student population. Nevertheless, evidently showing unsatisfactory results among both the study groups in the grounds of knowledge.: Therefore, the study concludes that knowledge and exposure to hand hygiene practices should be improved in undergraduate curriculum for both medical and nursing students which provides an opportunity to correct the bed side hygiene practices of the future health care providers at the foundation level.