Knowledge and practice amongst health care professionals regarding hand hygiene − are we on the right path in the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic?

Bakshi, Satvinder S.; Kalidoss, Vinoth K.; Ramesh, Seepana; Bakshi, Sumita

doi:10.4103/kamj.kamj_7_21

Knowledge and practice amongst health care professionals regarding hand hygiene − are we on the right path in the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic?

Authors

Abstract

Aim
Hand washing is one of the most important practices for preventing nosocomial infections, especially in the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, it is seen that hand hygiene has been replaced by just usage of hand sanitizers. We conducted a survey among health care professionals regarding their knowledge, attitude, and practice toward hand hygiene, with special focus on hand sanitizers.
Patients
and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health care professionals using a structured and pretested questionnaire sent through e-mail. The study tool contained questions on basic demography, knowledge, and practice of hand hygiene.
Results
A total of 496 health care professionals completed the survey, the majority being physicians (60%). The correct response for components of hand hygiene was higher among nursing personnel (88.781%) followed by physicians (83.7%) and dentists (83.7%). Overall, 45% of the participants were not aware about the adverse effects of hand sanitizers.
Conclusion
There is an urgent need to educate both health care professionals and patients regarding various aspects of hand hygiene. Hand washing with soap and water should be encouraged where available.

Keywords