Knowledge of hand hygiene and prevention practice of healthcare-associated infections among healthcare workers in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Hand hygiene is one of the most practical and cost-effective ways to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), which is a significant worldwide healthcare issue. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of hand hygiene and prevention practices of healthcare-associated infection among healthcare workers in different hospitals in Dhaka city. METHODS This cross-sectional study was carried out among 185 healthcare workers in two private healthcare centers in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, with data collected between September and October 2018. First, direct, non-participant, structured observations of healthcare professionals’ hand hygiene practices were conducted then a structured questionnaire was used to collect data by convenience sampling technique. The WHO hand hygiene knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of hand hygiene. Bloom’s cut-off points (good, 80–100%; moderate, 60–79%; and poor, <60%) were used to assess the knowledge level. An independent chi-squared test was performed to assess the association between knowledge level and prevention practice of healthcare-associated infections. The significance level was set at p<0.05. RESULTS The results have shown that during 53.2% of the 312 observations, participants followed the aseptic procedure to clean their hands. The knowledge of hand hygiene was moderate (49.7%) among the total study population. A significant relationship has been found between knowledge level and receiving structured training on hand hygiene (p<0.001). Gender (χ2=17.38, p<0.001), age (χ2=12.96, p<0.001), profession (χ2=32.76, p<0.001), and training on hand hygiene (χ2=21.39, p<0.001), were found as significant factors in the use of routine use of alcohol-based hand rub. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the study show the importance of structured training on hand hygiene to improve knowledge among healthcare workers, which could substantially reduce healthcare-associated infections. Further research with a more recent sample is needed to assess potential changes in hand hygiene training.