Assessment of Adherence to Hand Hygiene Practices in a Specialty Hospital

Introduction: Good hand hygiene represents an effective, simple and inexpensive means of preventing nosocomial infections. In this study, the adherence rates to hand hygiene practices among a group of health professionals employed in the intensive care unit and patient wards of a chest diseases hospital. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between January 2014 and December 2014 by the infection control nurse and unit supervisors, who comprised the research team, with the inclusion of all personnel in the intensive care unit with 10 patient beds and inclusion of at least 10% of the employed personnel in the patient wards, including the emergency department and a 3-storey healthcare facility. The study procedures were repeated once monthly for a total duration of 12 months. The Basic Calculation Formula described in the Hand Hygiene Practice Guidelines issued by the World Health Organization was used for study purposes. Results: The overall adherence rate to hand hygiene practices in the hospital was 70.26%. The specific adherence rates among physicians, nurses, ward personnel, cleaning personnel, and other personnel were 61%, 75%, 64%, 61%, and 68%, respectively. In terms of the indications arising during patient care, the highest practice rates of hand hygiene were observed after contact with the patient (31%), while the lowest rates were observed prior to aseptic procedures (11%). Conclusion: The adherence to hand hygiene exhibits some variation according to the category of health professional and the primary motivation for hand hygiene was self-protection. Continuous education should assist in improving adherence rates