Hand hygiene of medical students and resident physicians: predictors of attitudes and behaviour

Barroso, Violeta; Cáceres, Wendy; Loftus, Pooja; Evans, Kambria H.; Shieh, Lisa

doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133509

Cited by 21 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Some PCPs thought parents were knowledgeable in hand hygiene practice and therefore did not feel the need to mention hand hygiene during an RTI consultation. A recent study by Barroso et al [25] found a counterintuitive inverse relationship between knowledge and hand hygiene behaviour: where medical students reported high hand hygiene behaviour yet had lower knowledge as compared with medical residents, suggesting that factors other than knowledge were important in determining hand hygiene behaviour in this cohort. Furthermore, many PCPs said they would not wash their hands if there was no patient contact and if the patient was not visibly 'infectious'.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…For example, interventions involving teacher modelling hand hygiene to school children [20], improving educator's knowledge and attitude towards hand hygiene [21], and the use of alcohol-based sanitizers [15,22,23] have significantly reduced illness absenteeism in schools. However, factors such as lack of time to practice hand hygiene, poor adult modelling of regular hand washing, limited facilities including available sinks, soap and water, and the lack of knowledge regarding the importance of hand hygiene have hindered the compliance and sustainability of good hand hygiene practice [24,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visibility and transmission: complexities around promoting hand hygiene in young children – a qualitative study

et al. 2019

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Background Effective hand hygiene practice can reduce transmission of diseases such as respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and gastrointestinal infections, especially in young children. While hand hygiene has been widely promoted within Australia, primary care providers’ (PCPs) and parents’ understanding of hand hygiene importance, and their views on hand hygiene in reducing transmission of diseases in the community are unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the views of PCPs and parents of young children on their knowledge and practice of hand hygiene in disease transmission. Methods Using a cross-sectional qualitative research design, we conducted 30 in-depth interviews with PCPs and five focus groups with parents ( n = 50) between June 2014 and July 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. Data were thematically analysed. Results Participants agreed that hand hygiene practice was important in reducing disease transmissions. However, barriers such as variations of hand hygiene habits, relating visibility to transmission; concerns around young children being obsessed with washing hands; children already being ‘too clean’ and the need to build their immunity through exposure to dirt; and scepticism that hand hygiene practice was achievable in young children, all hindered participants’ motivation to develop good hand hygiene behaviour in young children. Conclusion Despite the established benefits of hand hygiene, sustained efforts are needed to ensure its uptake in routine care. To overcome the barriers identified in this study a multifaceted intervention is needed that includes teaching young children good hand hygiene habits, PCPs prompting parents and young children to practice hand hygiene when coming for an RTI consultation, reassuring parents that effective hand hygiene practice will not lead to abnormal psychological behaviour in their children, and community health promotion education campaigns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visibility and transmission: complexities around promoting hand hygiene in young children – a qualitative study

et al. 2019

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“…Previous studies have used qualitative methods to investigate the in uence of informal and hidden curricula in medical education (16,17); others have used self-reported surveys or observation (18,19) often focused on hand hygiene -to examine IPC knowledge and behaviours of medical students or junior doctors. In this qualitative study, we drew on discussions from re exive focus groups to explore interns' experience and behaviours related to the use of PPE.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical interns’ reflections on their training in use of personal protective equipment.

Barratt

Wyer

Hor

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background The current COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential, to prevent the acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases, yet its use is often sub-optimal in the clinical setting. Training and education are important to ensure and sustain the safe and effective use of PPE by medical interns, but current methods are often inadequate in providing the relevant knowledge and skills. The purpose of this study was to explore medical graduates’ experiences of the use of PPE and identify opportunities for improvement in education and training programmes, to improve occupational and patient safety.Methods This study was undertaken in 2018 in a large tertiary-care teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, to explore medical interns’ self-reported experiences of PPE use, at the beginning of their internship. Reflexive groups were conducted immediately after theoretical and practical PPE training, during hospital orientation. Transcripts of recorded discussions were analysed, using a thematic approach that drew on the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation - behaviour) framework for behaviour. Results 80% of 90 eligible graduates participated. Many interns had not previously received formal training in the specific skills required for optimal PPE use and had developed potentially unsafe habits. Their experiences as medical students in clinical areas contrasted sharply with recommended practice taught at hospital orientation and impacted on their ability to cultivate correct PPE use. Conclusions Undergraduate teaching should be consistent with best practice PPE use, and include practical training that embeds correct and safe practices.

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“…Previous studies have used qualitative methods to investigate the in uence of informal and hidden curricula in medical education (15,16); others have used self-reported surveys or observation (17,18) often focused on hand hygiene -to examine IPC knowledge and behaviours of medical students or junior doctors. In this qualitative study, we used focus groups to explore interns' experience and behaviours related to the use of PPE.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Australian medical interns adequately prepared for the optimal use of personal protective equipment?

Barratt¹

2020

Preprint

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Abstract BackgroundThe current COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential, to prevent the acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases, yet its use is often sub-optimal in the clinical setting. Training and education are important to ensure and sustain the safe and effective use of PPE by medical interns, but current methods are often inadequate in providing the relevant knowledge and skills. The purpose of this study was to explore new graduates’ experiences of the use of PPE and identify opportunities for improvement in medical student education and training programmes, to improve occupational and patient safety. MethodsThis study was undertaken in 2018 in a large tertiary-care teaching hospital in XXXX, Australia, to explore medical interns’ self-reported experiences of PPE use, at the beginning of their first postgraduate year. Focus groups were conducted immediately after theoretical and practical PPE training, during hospital orientation. Transcripts of recorded discussions were analysed, using a thematic approach that drew on the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation - behaviour) framework for behaviour. Results 80% of 90 eligible interns participated. Many interns had not previously received formal training in the specific skills required for optimal PPE use and had developed potentially unsafe habits. Their experiences as medical students in clinical areas contrasted sharply with recommended practice taught at hospital orientation and impacted on their ability to cultivate correct PPE use. ConclusionsUndergraduate teaching should be consistent with best practice PPE use, and include practical training that embeds correct and safe practices.

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Hand hygiene of medical students and resident physicians: predictors of attitudes and behaviour

Abstract: Medical students and residents have similar attitudes about hand hygiene, but differ in their level of knowledge and compliance. Concerns about hierarchy may have a significant negative impact on hand hygiene advocacy.

Cited by 21 publications

References 14 publications

Visibility and transmission: complexities around promoting hand hygiene in young children – a qualitative study

Visibility and transmission: complexities around promoting hand hygiene in young children – a qualitative study

Medical interns’ reflections on their training in use of personal protective equipment.

Are Australian medical interns adequately prepared for the optimal use of personal protective equipment?

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