TRANSLATING HAND HYGIENE PRACTICE INTO COMPLIANCE DURING ASEPTIC WOUND DRESSING

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Over the past decade, we have witnessed some amazing innovations in the field of aseptic wound dressing. However, hygiene compliance during this common procedure still remains poorly observed. BACKGROUND: In the late 1800s, Florence Nightingale, revolutionised the practice by implementing the principle of hand washing and other hygienic practice during the Crimean War. Growing burden of healthcare-associated infection have yielded enough scientific evidence to support the claim that hand hygiene alone is capable of substantially reducing the risk of cross-transmission. AIMS: This study explores factors associated with hand hygiene compliance during aseptic wound dressing among healthcare workers. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted among various public healthcare workers in the state of Johor (Malaysia). Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed to analyse the data. RESULT: A total of 451 HCWs have volunteer and out of which majority work as a Registered Nurse (n=262, 58%), compared to other health worker (n=189, 42%). Almost all of HCW (n=446, 99%) feel wound dressing took long time to finish regardless of experience. DISCUSSION: We found that using the standardised forms as the assisting method significantly improved hand hygiene compliance during aseptic wound dressing regardless of working experience. CONCLUSION: Although nurses are predominantly responsible for handling wound care, but various factors are almost similar which can improve adherence to hand hygiene standards, and experience can be gained along the way.