Five Indications for Hand Hygiene Compliance among Healthcare Providers in a University Hospital

Objective: Nowadays, one of the main reasons for the increase in healthcare costs is healthcare associated infections. It is a known fact that healthcare-associated infections are mostly transmitted by the hands of healthcare professionals. Hand hygiene compliance decreases hospital infection rates. In this study five indications for hand hygiene compliance among healthcare providers in a university hospital were investigated. Methods: Hand hygiene practices of the health professionals who work in inpatient clinics, outpatient clinics and emergency rooms were observed by clinical education nurses in a university hospital from December 2009 to January 2010. 112 Hand Hygiene Forms were filled out. Results: Total observation time was 17 805 minutes. The percentage of the filled out observation forms were 53% for nurses, 27% for medical doctors, 13% for unlicensed assistive personnel, and 7% for other healthcare professionals. Compliance with hand hygiene throughout the hospital was 75%. Hand hygiene was mostly applied after contact with the patient and his/her environment, and most common hand hygiene method was hand washing. Conclusions: Ensuring hand hygiene compliance of healthcare professionals is the first step in infection control programs to prevent nosocomial infections. As the study findings also point out, continuous education including hand hygiene indications and methods for all hospital staff, and evaluation of the success of the program is recommended.