An Evaluation of Hand Hygiene Practice by Health Care Personnel at a Tertiary Hospital in North Eastern Nigeria

Background: Hand hygiene when done satisfactorily is one of the most effective ways of preventing hospital acquired infections. However elementary the process may seem, it is one that has been shown to significantly elude health care personnel (HCP). This study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice of hand hygiene by HCP at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Azare, North-Eastern Nigeria.

Methods: The study was a cross sectional survey of HCP who make direct contact with patients at four randomly selected units of FMC Azare. Using the purposive sampling technique, a structured questionnaire was administered on the respondents. The collected data was analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Presentation of data was done with tables, in proportions and percentages.

Results: Eighty-two (82) HCP were recruited into the study, 64 (78.0%) were males and 18 (22.0%) were females, giving a ratio of 3.6:1. Nurses made up 43.9%, health assistants 34.1% and doctors 22.0% of the total number. The respondents exhibited a good knowledge of hand hygiene (93.2%). Seventy- seven (93.9%) of the respondents showed a positive attitude while 6.1% had a negative attitude towards hand hygiene. All categories of respondents had good practice scores regarding hand hygiene.

Conclusion: The knowledge, attitude and practice of hand hygiene of HCP at FMC Azare is optimal. However, continuous training on infection prevention and control with emphasis on hand hygiene and other strategies is recommended to allow for improvement in compliance to the concept of standard precautions.