Hand Hygiene: Knowledge and Practice among Healthcare Workers in the Paediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Aims: To assess the knowledge of hand hygiene among health care workers in the Paediatrics Department and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). To determine the hand hygiene practice among health care workers. To determine the barriers to hand washing practices in the Paediatrics Department. Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was done. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatrics between 14th February, 2020 to 12th March ,2020 Methodology: 81 health workers including 31 doctors and 50 nurses (35 working nurses and 15 nursing students) who have direct contact to patients on the wards were included in the study. A World Health Organization (WHO) adopted self-administered questionnaire on hand hygiene was used. Results: From the study, 75.3% of the respondents had fair knowledge on hand hygiene and 24.7% also had poor knowledge. Most doctors generally had a better knowledge of hand hygiene whilst nurses generally had poor knowledge. With a p-value of 0.002, a statistical association was found between having received formal education and the performance of routine hand hygiene practices.  Some barriers affecting hand hygiene practice included forgetfulness, lack of time and lack of alcohol-based hand rub. Conclusion: In conclusion, most of the health care workers had a fair knowledge on hand hygiene with a few having poor knowledge. Majority of health care workers reported they routinely use hand washing and alcohol hand rub in their daily practice. Regular education and practice of hand hygiene are essential to prevention of spread of diseases especially during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic.