Evaluation of Hand Hygiene Beliefs and Practices Among Healthcare Workers in a Training and Research Hospital

Objective: Hand hygiene is an essential step in preventing healthcare-associated infections. Gaining information and improving hand hygiene among healthcare workers can contribute to the prevention of nosocomial infections. Although studies in the literature emphasize hand hygiene compliance, data on hand hygiene beliefs are limited. Methods: This study was a descriptive research among employees between May and July 2022. Data obtained from surveys called the Hand Hygiene "belief scale" and "practice inventory" administered to healthcare workers were collected. Results: A total of 1556 healthcare workers were interviewed. As the education level increased, a significant increase was found in the belief in hand hygiene and its importance scale. Women have a higher belief in hand hygiene than men. The hand hygiene belief scale scores of healthcare workers working in outpatient clinics were higher than those of healthcare workers in the emergency room and intensive care. Compliance with hand hygiene decreases with increasing risk and workload. When the shift times were evaluated, daytime workers scored higher on the belief scale than night workers. Conclusion: Our study revealed that hand hygiene was affected by factors such as education, profession, gender, length of service, shift time, and department. Therefore, unit-specific or individual plans are required.