Background: We aimed to monitor hand hygiene (HH) of health professionals in three critical sectors of a university hospital, to verify the physical structure of these units for HH, gloves use and perception of professionals regarding the patient's safety climate
Methods: An observational, correlational study, conducted in critical sectors of a hospital. The study population consisted of nurses, nursing technicians, physicians, resident physicians and physiotherapists. The data were collected through four questionnaires to evaluate HH, factors related to adherence to it and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: A total of 148 professionals and 3.025 opportunities for HH were observed. Adherence to HH was higher among nurses when compared to nursing professionals (p <0.05), and there was a difference between different sectors (p <0.05). Professionals who previously participated in training had greater adherence (47.79% CI95% 45.38-50.20) to HH than professionals who did not participate (44.62% CI95% 41.95-47.29). There was a statistical difference between the perception of the security climate and the type of employment bond of the professional, as well as the sector in which it operates. Conclusion: Adherence to HH was affected and / or influenced by the physical structure, use of procedure gloves, work regimen and perceived patient safety climate.
Keywords: Hand hygiene; Cross Infection; Patient Safety; Safety culture