The Association between Hand Disinfection Techniques and Their Barriers, as Well as the “Bare below the Elbows” Concept, among Healthcare Professionals—A Study Based on a Polish Population

Abstract

Hand hygiene is the most effective way to prevent nosocomial infections. Nevertheless, the hands of healthcare professionals are still the primary route of transmission of pathogens responsible for such infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate hand disinfection techniques and investigate the risk factors that may explain the improper hand disinfection techniques among healthcare workers. We selected 7544 hospital workers directly involved in patient care. We recorded data based on the questionnaires, demographic data, and the preparation of hands for disinfection, including risk factors. Correct hand disinfection was verified by COUCOU BOX, with a UV camera. Proper hand disinfection was demonstrated among 4879 (64.7%) subjects, while 2665 (35.3%) subjects disinfected their hands incorrectly. In most places of work, nurses properly disinfected their hands more often than the physicians, particularly in general departments (62.1% vs. 69.2%; p = 0.0019). We observed that long nails and artificial/polished nails were more often observed in the group of nurses than in the group of physicians (7.3% vs. 4.7%, respectively; p = 0.0006 and 19.3% vs. 10.1%; p = 0.0000), while an inverse relationship was found in relation to watches (24.0% vs. 12.0%; p = 0.0000) and long sleeves (24.4% vs. 8.1%; p = 0.0000). Incorrect and less effective hand hygiene among some groups of hospital workers is still present. Therefore, the continuation of education actions concerned with hand hygiene among healthcare workers is needed.

Medical Students’ and Radiology Technician Trainees’ eHealth Literacy and Hygiene Awareness—Asynchronous and Synchronous Digital Hand Hygiene Training in a Single-Center Trial

“…This misbehavior was found in B1 with 84/191 (43.98%) and in B2 with 8/31 (25.81%). Similar results were reported by Szumska et al, to a comparable extent, separated by rings, bracelets and watches [59].…”

A Multifaceted Approach to the “Bare below the Elbow” Concept and Hand Hygiene Compliance among Healthcare Professionals—Multicenter Population-Based Study

“…The data obtained from 7544 participants (84% female and 16% male) were included in the analysis, as previously described [13]. Of the study cohort, medical workers comprised 19.5% physicians, 50.4% nurses, and 30.1% other personnel.…”

“…Among the study population, 6772 volunteers participated in the study for the first time and 772 for the second time. The general characteristic of the studied population has been previously presented [13].…”

“…In the United Kingdom, since 2007, the NHS has strictly banned healthcare professionals from wearing jewelry and watches in the workplace [1]. The abovementioned inaccuracies and lack of uniformity led us to perform our previous study [13] concerning hand hygiene deviations (long nails, artificial/painted nails, rings, watches, bracelets, and long sleeves) and, furthermore, to broaden the knowledge of BBE compliance at present.…”

“…The study group comprised 7544 adults of Polish origin, recruited from 123 Polish healthcare facilities and deployed in 12 regions of Poland, as previously described [13]. All observations were performed among persons working at different parts of the hospital: the medical clinic, long-term care facilities (LTCFs), and administration offices.…”