Get aware of hand hygiene: Implement it in your attitude

BACKGROUND Although there is advancement in the health-care system, the rates of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are still high. Poor hand hygiene (HH) among healthcare workers (HCWs) is identified as one of the major causes of HAIs. AIMS The aim and objective of this study is to assess the awareness and attitude regarding hand hygiene (HH) among HCWs in a superspecialty hospital in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. SETTINGS AND DESIGN A cross-sectional, semi-structured, questionnaire-based study was carried out in a superspecialty hospital, Uttar Pradesh, India. Questionnaires were distributed on the training session of HH organized in the eve of World HH Day on May 5th, 2016. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total 104 questionnaires were distributed among various HCWs. Each questionnaire was composed of 14 questions to test the awareness and attitude regarding HH. Awareness regarding HH among HCWs was graded as excellent (>80% correct response), satisfactory (80%-50%), and unsatisfactory (<50%). Attitude was graded on the basis of their response: excellent (strongly agree), satisfactory (agree), and unsatisfactory (other response). RESULTS Awareness was found to be unsatisfactory regarding the most frequent source of germs in hospital setting (39.42%) and effective time of proper hand rub (42.30%). Lack of awareness regarding adequate time of hand wash among doctors (85.71%) was an important issue.