Awareness of Hand Hygiene in Hospital Set-up for Infection Control: Knowledge-based Questionnaire for Health Care Workers in a Teaching Hospital

Abstract

The notion of hygiene is built on the relationship between cleanliness and the maintenance of good health. Hand washing technique is the rubbing together of all parts of the hands, including all the clefts using soap and water. Hand hygiene is the first step in preventing cross-transmission of microorganisms, which can help in prevention of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs). The entire world is in fact, emphasizing the importance of hand wash for the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic. The germs causing infection in a health care setting can be transmitted through contaminated hands. Health care-associated pathogens can be acquired from any source, mainly from infected or draining wounds, patients’ skin, aprons they wear, mattresses they use, bedside furniture and other objects in the immediate environment of the patient. Organisms such as S. aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella spp., Acinetobacter spp., Enterococci, play an important role in HAIs. Although hand hygiene procedures are relatively simple, several studies have mentioned that health care workers do not adhere to this properly. Poor hand hygiene compliance has been one of the leading contributory factors to Health Care Acquired Infections (HCAIs). Reasons for low hand hygiene adherence include location of sinks in an inconvenient place, tight work schedule, reluctance as well as lack of role models and not being aware of implementation guidelines. Aim: To analyze the awareness of hand hygiene among health care workers in a hospital set-up for infection control. The goal of the study is to get a better insight of and explore the knowledge and awareness on hand hygiene among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital. Objective: To find out the lacunae in hand hygiene and to formulate and take measures to prevent HAIs and multidrug-resistant pathogens. Methods: The study was done through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 134 people participated which included 75 doctors (56%), 38 nurses (28.4%), 11 lab technicians (8.2%) and others (7.4%). The overall response was good. Both the nurses and doctors had adequate knowledge about hand hygiene. However, the nurses had better knowledge regarding the steps of hand wash (78.9%) and the disposal of biomedical waste (94.7%). The knowledge about hand hygiene and biomedical waste management was better among nurses and lab technicians. Conclusion: Most health professionals had adequate knowledge about hand hygiene. However, they did not have adequate practice of handwashing which can be initiated with effective training. Antimicrobial soap should be available and should be easily accessible for routine hand wash in all patient care areas to improve hand hygiene and to prevent hospital acquired infections.