مروری بر متون بهداشت دست در ایران

  Background & Aims : Nosocomial infections are among the important risk factors in healthcare sector, and hand hygiene also has an important role in nosocomial infections which may be the first recommended control step. Determining studies trend related to the subject, identifying research gaps and deciding about strategies for hand hygiene improvement in Iran is essential through literature review.   The main aim of this study was reviewing studies which have been conducted on hand hygiene in Iran between 1996- 2011.   Material & Methods: Published articles between 1996 to 2011 were searched and reviewed. These articles had been obtained in web-based and library search.   Results: The results of reviewing 14 articles showed that seven investigations have been carried out as descriptive, five experimental and two by interventional methods. Despite the importance of hand hygiene, limited studies were conducted and there was not enough cohesion in assessing different dimensions of hand hygiene. In existing articles, health awareness, compliance, and performance related to hand hygiene have been reported poor especially in the clinical healthcare staff.  Conclusion: The results of limited studies were indicating poor hand hygiene in health care settings. However according to methodological limitations of reviewed articles, more studies should be conducted to investigate knowledge, attitude or beliefs and performance related to hand hygiene in healthcare staff. Furthermore, investigating effectiveness of various interventions for improving hand hygiene knowledge and compliance is recommended .  Received: 3 Feb 2013   Accepted: 30 Apr 2013