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Adherence to hand hygiene in critical sectors: Can we go on like this?
Author(s) -
Bezerra Thaissa Blanco,
Valim Marília Duarte,
Bortolini Juliano,
Ribeiro Renata Perfeito,
Marcon Samira Reschetti,
Moura Maria Eliete Batista
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.15293
Subject(s) - hygiene , checklist , observational study , medicine , hand washing , health care , rigour , infection control , nursing , patient safety , health professionals , family medicine , psychology , intensive care medicine , geometry , mathematics , pathology , economics , cognitive psychology , economic growth
Abstract Aims and objectives The rates of healthcare‐associated infections are high around the world. Hand hygiene is considered the most effective measure to reduce the transmission of pathogens in the hospital environment. Our objective was to evaluate adherence to hand hygiene in critical units of a tertiary‐level hospital in Central‐West Brazil. Design Observational study employing cross‐sectional data. Reporting rigour was demonstrated using the STROBE checklist. Methods Observation of hand hygiene practices of 129 professionals from the health team, including nursing staff, physicians and physical therapists. Data collection was carried out using the World Health Organization form. Results A total of 3,025 hand hygiene opportunities were observed, and the overall rate of adherence was only 46.25%. There was a greater frequency of hand hygiene after risk of exposure to bodily fluids and after contact with patients, 60.80% and 53.45%, respectively. Nurses obtained a higher rate of adherence to hand hygiene (59.80%). The neonatal ICU had a higher rate of adherence to hand hygiene when compared to other sectors. Conclusions The physical structure for hand hygiene in the institution was poor, and no professionals reached the minimum time required for execution of hand hygiene techniques. There were low rates of adherence to hand hygiene by professionals at all five times and in all categories and sectors observed, which may have been influenced by poor infrastructure present in the institution. Relevance to clinical practice This study is of great relevance to patient safety, given the rates of healthcare‐associated infections worldwide, with emphasis on underdeveloped countries. It is hoped that the results of this research can guide organisations to validly and systematically evaluate adherence to hand hygiene and achieve higher rates of adherence to hand hygiene and consequently reduce the number of infections in health environments.