Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: Knowledge of hand hygiene is important for medical students. The aim of this study was to compare the knowledge before and after a workshop on hand hygiene held for medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka. Methods: A self-administered, pre-tested validated questionnaire, based on hand hygiene guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), was distributed among the medical students before and after conducting a workshop on hand hygiene.Results were assessed by comparing the current guidelines set by the WHO with the knowledge of hand hygiene among the medical students. Results: All 177 students participated in the study before conducting the workshop. There were 104 (58.8%) preclinical and 73 (41.2%) clinical students. Of the 104 preclinical students, the percentage who knew the importance of “My five moments for hand hygiene” approach (hand hygiene before direct contact with patients, after direct contact with patients, before clean/aseptic procedures, after contact with blood/body fluid and after contact with patient’s surrounding) before conducting the workshop were 53.8%, 67.3%, 51.0%, 88.5% and 34.6% respectively. Of the 73 clinical students, the percentage who knew the importance of the “My five moments for hand hygiene” approach before conducting the workshop were 49.3%, 63.0%, 87.7%, 94.5% and 27.4% respectively. Of the 112 students who participated in the workshop, there were 68 (60.7%) preclinical and 44 (39.3%) clinical students. Of the 68 preclinical students, 77.9%, 79.4%, 91.2%, 95.6% and 70.6% knew the importance of the “My five moments for hand hygiene” approach post workshop. Post workshop, the percentage of the 44 clinical students who knew the importance of “My five moments for hand hygiene” approach were 90.9%, 88.6%, 93.2%, 97.7% and 81.8% respectively. Conclusions: The pre workshop knowledge of hand hygiene among the two categories of medical students was not satisfactory. The knowledge on each component of “My five moments for hand hygiene” concept improved to more than 70% after conducting the workshop.
Highlights
Introduction and ObjectivesKnowledge of hand hygiene is important for medical students
Thereafter, a one-day workshop on hand hygiene which consisted of lectures on hand hygiene and practical demonstrations of hand washing was conducted for a total of 112 students
The knowledge of hand hygiene when moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site in the same patient was significantly better among preclinical students (p=0.01) and the knowledge of hand hygiene before clean/ aseptic procedures was significantly better among clinical students (p
Summary
Introduction and ObjectivesKnowledge of hand hygiene is important for medical students. In institutions where hand hygiene practices are not carried out or are suboptimal, direct and indirect transmission of nosocomial infections occur in patients.[3] hand hygiene is an important healthcare issue and is the single most cost effective and practical measure to reduce the incidence of HAIs.[4,5] studies have shown that rates of compliance with hand hygiene practices are low in most hospitals and overall compliance rates are below 50% and as a result, HAIs have become increasingly common.[6] multi drug resistant pathogens such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have become increasingly reported during the past two decades, especially in developing countries.[7] Continuous efforts are being made to identify effective and sustainable strategies to increase hand hygiene compliance One such effort is the introduction of an evidence-based concept of “My five moments for hand hygiene” by the World Health Organization (WHO). The “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” approach defines five key moments when health-care workers should perform hand hygiene
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
