Assessment of nurses’ perceptions and adherence to five moments of hand hygiene in selected units at a University Teaching Hospital in Rwanda

Abstract

BackgroundAbout 1.4 million people worldwide are affected by hand hygiene-associated infections from healthcare providers, and altered perceptions might be the contributory factor. Objective To assess nurses' perceptions and adherence to the "five moments of hand hygiene" in selected units at a University Teaching Hospital in Rwanda. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A sample size of 84 nurses was selected using convenience sampling. The perceptions survey questionnaire and the observation checklist was used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. ResultsSixty-nine (82.1%) had a positive perception of susceptibility and severity, and 75 (89.2%) had a positive perception of the benefits of hand hygiene. All 84 (100%) and 67 (79.8%) had a negative perception of perceived barriers and action (cues) to hand hygiene; respectively. Highest adherence rate (82.1%) was after body fluid exposure risk, lowest before touching a patient (27.4%), with an average adherence rate of 53.6% to the "five moments." Qualification was associated with nurses' perceptions (p =.002) and department of work with adherence to hand hygiene (p =.001). ConclusionThe overall perceptions of nurses were negative with inadequate adherence to hand hygiene practices. Therefore, this necessitates new strategies and reinforcement of hand hygiene among the nurses.Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2019;2(2):160-171. _______________________________________________________________________

Behavioral determinants of hand hygiene compliance among nurses in intensive care units in Hai’l, Saudi Arabia

“…Being aware of the effectiveness of HH in preventing HCAIs can be a vital predictor of HHC (Cruz and Bashtawi, 2016). Positive perception toward HH indicates an understanding that the benefits of practicing good HH outweigh the barriers (Maniriho et al, 2019). Contrary to our results, the belief about the usefulness of HH was high in Tan and Olivo (2015).…”

“…Contrary to our results, the belief about the usefulness of HH was high in Tan and Olivo (2015). Most participants in Maniriho et al (2019) believed HH was the most effective strategy for preventing and minimizing HCAIs. While in Irek et al (2019), positive attitudes toward HH were limited among the study participants, including nurses and doctors.…”