Hand Hygiene among Nurses and Physicians at a Tertiary Hospital in Jordan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Comparative Study

Abstract

Background: Hand hygiene has been one of the hottest topics in immunology and infection control, especially during the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the perception level of importance of hand hygiene among Jordanian nurses and physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, it investigated the potential associations of several demographic factors, including gender, age and site of work on hand hygiene among nurses and physicians. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional comparative study design. A convenience sampling procedure was performed on 183 participants (100 nurses and 83 physicians). World Health Organization (WHO) perception survey for HCPs was used in this study. Results: Results showed a high perception level of importance of hand hygiene among nurses and physicians during the spread of the COVID19 pandemic. Statistical analysis indicated that physicians had a significantly higher level of hand hygiene than nurses. Physicians and nurses showed high importance (46.4%) of preventing healthcare-associated infection in a patient’s clinical outcome. Age was found to be associated with the perception level of importance of hand hygiene among both professions, whereas gender and site of work were not found to be associated with the perception level of importance of hand hygiene in both professions. Conclusions and Implications to Nursing: Physicians had a higher level of hand hygiene compared to nurses during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. More formal educational sessions on hand hygiene should be provided to prevent healthcare-associated infection and promote clinical outcomes. Keywords: Hand-hygiene, Nurses, Physicians, Jordan.