Healthcare Workers' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding the World Health Organization's "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene": Evidence From a Vietnamese Central General Hospital

Health care workers' knowledge and perceptions on WHO hand hygiene guidelines, and the perceived barriers to compliance with hand hygiene in Cyprus

BACKGROUND

Hand hygiene (HH) is recognized as an important measure to avoid the transmission of harmful germs, and assists significantly in preventing healthcare-associated infections. HH compliance among health care workers (HCWs) is a result of their knowledge and perceptions.

AIM

To investigate the knowledge and perceptions of WHO hand hygiene guidelines among HCWs, and the perceived barriers to compliance with hand hygiene in a major public hospital in Cyprus.

METHODS

A descriptive correlational study was conducted in September of 2019. The target population was all of the HCWs in Nicosia General Hospital (N = 1,386). The final sample consisted of 820 participants (119 physicians, 613 nurses, 27 physiotherapists, 59 ward assistants, 2 unidentified). This study used the HH knowledge and perception questionnaire that was developed by the WHO.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the average percentage score for knowledge among our sample was 61%, and statistically significant differences were observed among HCWs with regard to certain questions. It was found that HCWs, in most of their responses, presented high percentages of correct answers regarding their perceptions on hand hygiene guidelines but several perceived barriers to compliance on HH guidelines were identified as well.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge and perceptions of HH guidelines among HCWs were moderate and good respectively. In addition, several perceived barriers to compliance on HH recommendations were identified. HH education is recognized as an important tool for removing these barriers but the recommended HH strategy should be multi-modal and consider local resources, administrative support and barriers to compliance with HH.

Assessing the incorporation of the 'Five Moments for Hand Hygiene' into nursing procedure textbooks

AIM

Our aim was to conduct a thorough comparison between the hand hygiene information included in international nursing textbooks and the Slovenian nursing textbook's equivalent content as it relates to nursing procedures.

BACKGROUND

Hand hygiene practices are crucial in preventing healthcare-associated infections, which affect millions of patients annually. The idea behind "Five Moments for Hand Hygiene" is to encourage assessing success and boosting self-efficacy.

DESIGN

Comparison of hand hygiene content in international nursing textbooks with the content in a Slovenian nursing textbook.

METHODS

A study was conducted between March 2023 and March 2024 to compare hand hygiene content in international nursing textbooks. The study included textbooks from the USA and UK, as well as Slovenian (SI) textbooks. The final phase involved comparing hand hygiene performance practices against the WHO Five Moments for Hand Hygiene.

RESULTS

The study reviewed 470 nursing procedures across three textbooks, identifying four common ones: female indwelling urinary catheterisation, small-bore feeding tube insertion, enema administration and subcutaneous injections. The USA textbook had the highest number of steps, while the UK textbook had the lowest. Clean protective gloves are not recommended for all nursing procedures, only for small-bore feeding tube insertion and enema administration. The US textbook omitted 12 steps for the female indwelling urinary catheter procedure, while the UK textbook included 10 steps. The SI textbook omitted 8 steps.

CONCLUSIONS

Hand hygiene is crucial for healthcare infections prevention and control. The study found differences in the frequency of hand hygiene in these nursing procedures. WHO's Five Moments for Hand Hygiene guidelines are not universally accepted, with inadequate hygiene often observed before patient contact. Future research should review foreign textbooks and update existing ones.

Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Perception Survey for Healthcare Workers in Government Hospitals (GHs) in Bahrain

Introduction and aim Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a serious concern in all healthcare facilities as they may lead to many serious consequences, like prolonged hospitalization, increased mortality and morbidity, and extra costs. Effective hand hygiene (HH) is the primary proven measure known to be effective in reducing the risk of HAIs in all healthcare settings. This study aimed to measure the healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge and perception of HH at government hospitals (GHs) in Bahrain. Subjects and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs working in GHs in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted population using a Google survey (Google LLC, California, USA). The questionnaire includes socio-demographic data (e.g., age, gender, nationality, etc.) and a validated WHO questionnaire measuring perceptions and knowledge toward HH. Results Of the 285 HCWs, 75.4% were females, and 48.1% were aged between 31 and 40 years old. The overall mean perception was 35.9 (SD 6.93) out of 42 points, with nearly 80% of HCWs considered to have good perception levels. The overall mean knowledge score was 11.4 (SD 1.37) out of 14 points. Accordingly, 75.4% were considered to have good knowledge levels. Factors associated with increased perception include increasing age, female gender, non-Bahraini, being a nurse with increasing years of working experience, and receiving formal training in HH. Being a nurse was the sole significant predictor of increased knowledge. Conclusion The knowledge and perception of HH among HCWs were sufficient. Being a nurse was a significant predictor of both knowledge and perception. Further, a significant positive correlation was noted between the knowledge and perception scores. Maintaining the level of knowledge and perception of HH could lead to improved HH compliance among HCWs.

[Level of Complete Knowledge on Five Moments of Hand Hygiene among Nurses Working at Integrated Nursing Care Service Wards]

PURPOSE

This study aimed to identify the level of complete knowledge about hand hygiene indications among nurses working at integrated nursing care service wards.

METHODS

A total of 127 nurses in eight integrated nursing care service wards completed structured sheets while observing a video based on six scenarios developed by the research team. Complete knowledge level was calculated as the percentage (%) of participants who responded correctly to all questions among participants. Complete knowledge levels according to the scenarios were calculated and compared according to general characteristics using the chi-squared test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

RESULTS

The complete knowledge level for each scenario ranged from 7.9% (scenario 6) to 42.5% (scenarios 4 and 5), and no one had complete knowledge of all scenarios. Only 3.1% of participants demonstrated complete knowledge in more than four scenarios, and 26.0% had complete knowledge of four or more hand hygiene moments. Complete knowledge level per scenario did not differ depending on work experience at hospitals and study wards, or prior hand hygiene training in the last year.

CONCLUSION

As the complete knowledge level regarding hand hygiene moment is very low, it is suggested that regular hand hygiene training should be provided to nurses using video media that reflect real nursing tasks. Thus, they can acquire complete knowledge of when hand hygiene is needed or not during complex nursing work situations.