Hand Hygiene: Knowledge and Attitudes of Fourth-Year Clerkship Medical Students at Alfaisal University, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Little is known about the clerkship (clinical) medical students’ knowledge of hand hygiene as the single most important precautionary measure to reduce nosocomial healthcare-associated infections. The aim of this study is to explore the knowledge of, and attitudes towards, hand hygiene practices among fourth-year clerkship medical students at Alfaisal University, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, paper-based, Yes/No formatted questionnaire was administered to explore the students’ knowledge of, and attitudes towards, hand hygiene practices. Data were decoded in Microsoft Excel sheet and presented as numbers and percentages.Results: One hundred and eleven students (n=111/147) participated in the questionnaire (response rate: 76%). Although the majority of students had a fair knowledge of hand hygiene practices, a number of them had some misconceptions. Only 14% of students correctly agreed to the statement: "Traditional hand washing (water, plus regular soap) decreases the number of germs." Furthermore, only 32% of students correctly answered that "hand washing with a regular soap, instead of an antiseptic soap, is better in limiting the transmission of clostridium difficile infections". Almost all students (93%) agreed to the importance of hand hygiene education in medical curricula and its awareness in healthcare centers. Despite the importance of hand hygiene, only 13% of students reviewed the respective WHO and CDC guidelines before starting their clinical training in the teaching hospital.Discussion: The students’ inadequate knowledge about hand hygiene needs to be enriched by well-structured curricular and extra-curricular programs as well as more positive attitudes by healthcare workers.

Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Practice Among Medical Students in King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

“…Accordingly, throughout our study, it was found that students' practice of HH was affected by the performance of their role models which was comparable to the findings of Hamadah et al in which they stated that students lack proper HH practice in the absence of living examples (physicians, residents) 6 . The majority of students in a study conducted in Australia, felt that acting as role models for HH in regards to other healthcare workers was considered as their responsibility 27 .…”

“…One of these efforts was introduced by the WHO which was the (My five Moments for Hand Hygiene) approach. These five moments include the following: before touching a patient, the moment before performing an aseptic or clean procedure, following exposure to body fluids, after touching a patient, and after touching any of the patient surroundings 1,12. Even though frequent reports about the knowledge of HH among medical students in different countries have been found, Saudi Arabia has greatly fallen behind in this field 6 . Such studies are of great value as students fill a large number in healthcare facilities during their training phase and may contribute to the transmission of infections.…”

“…In addition, HAIs impose a huge burden on healthcare systems 1,2,5,6 . Over 1.4 million people around the world have been affected by HAIs.…”

“…Therefore, it is crucially important to evaluate their knowledge and practice of HH 6,10 . Moreover, adherence to HH between medical student contribute to the reduction of HAIs rates 2 .…”

Assessment by WHO’s My 5 moments of Hand Hygiene Shows Inadequate Knowledge and its Translation into Practices for Hand Washing Behavior Among Saudi Medical Students

“…The prevalence of HCAI in Saudi Arabia vary from 13% to 48 % in teaching hospitals (18,19). Despite the relative simplicity in technique of hand washing, regional studies have demonstrated poor awareness and inadequate compliance (20,21).…”