Qualitative observational assessment of the recommended hand rubbing technique amongst young healthcare workers at an academic hospital

Abstract

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is a major cornerstone in preventing hospital-acquired infections. The recommended six-step alcohol-based hand rubbing (ABHR) technique has not been qualitatively evaluated amongst young healthcare workers (HCWs) before. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study at an academic hospital was conducted in 2018; data collectors observed HCWs voluntarily perform ABHR, observing for the quality of the six steps of HH and recording the duration, and if they performed accessory removal then recorded total qualitative scores. Results: Three hundred and seventy-seven young HCWs were qualitatively observed, the mean age of participants was 24.1 years, 49.1% were female, only 10 (2.7%) completely fulfilled all six steps, 97.35% of HCWs had inadequate hand surface coverage and 69.23% did not achieve sufficient timing. The median scores, out of 12, for 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-year medical students, were 6.4, 7.2 and 7.5, respectively, while medical interns scored 7.4 and medical residents scored 7.5 (P = 0.016). Participants with previous HH training sessions scored higher with mean scores of 7.4 versus 6.3 (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The quality of ABHR practised by young HCWs lacked the appropriate coverage of full hands surface coverage and inadequate duration of time, special training and follow-up on the quality of ABHR technique for HCWs early in their career is warranted.