scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF HAND HYGIENE AMONG HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN KARACHI

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-127
Author(s):  
Imran Ahmed ◽  
Asif Khan ◽  
Abdul Ahad Sohail ◽  
Mujeeb-ur- Rehman

Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are one of the most common problems encountered in health care. It is a major cause of concern for hospitals throughout the world. Methods: The study design was cross sectional and data was obtained from health care workers currently employed in hospitals. We selected tertiary care hospitals by convenient sampling technique. Data were analyzed through SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 330 health care workers were included in the study out of which 54.4% (180) were males and the rest 45.4% (150) were females. When the participants were asked of the minimum time required for alcohol based hand rub to eradicate the microorganisms, only 42% (138) were able to correctly answer that it takes 20 seconds. Conclusion: Our study identified considerable gaps in knowledge and practice in some key areas regarding hand hygiene which need re-emphasis through regular training sessions aim at keeping abreast with standard protocols of hand hygiene.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Petros Ioannou ◽  
Stamatis Karakonstantis ◽  
Anna Mathioudaki ◽  
Angelos Sourris ◽  
Vasiliki Papakosta ◽  
...  

Health care workers (HCWs) face a higher risk of infection, since they work at the front line of COVID-19 patients’ management. Misinterpretations of current scientific evidence among HCWs may impact the delivery of appropriate care to COVID-19 patients and increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the hospital setting. Moreover, knowledge may affect HCWs perceptions depending on their broad beliefs and past experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs regarding COVID-19 issues during the second wave of the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey, involving a printed questionnaire, was conducted from 21 October 2020 to 31 January 2021 in four tertiary care hospitals located at four distant geographical regions in Greece. In total, 294 HCWs participated in this study. The majority of HCWs provided precise responses regarding general knowledge, perceptions, and practices concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. However, responses on hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in HCWs with COVID-19 were mistaken. This study reveals a certain degree of misconceptions and knowledge gaps in HCWs everyday practice, especially regarding hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in COVID-19 patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1198-1202
Author(s):  
M.l Fatima ◽  
M. Waqar ◽  
H. Qamar ◽  
M. Akram ◽  
F. Zia ◽  
...  

Background: Iatrogenic and nosocomial infections are a serious threat to a healthcare setting especially during a pandemic. Hand hygiene among the health-care workers stands out to be a pivotal preventive measure. Practical application of hand hygiene measures during third wave of COVID-19 pandemic primarily depend upon the current knowledge among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study design based on validated WHO questionnaire for hand hygiene among the health care workers was conducted during March till May2021 in the settings of Shalamar and Central Park hospital and medical colleges. Results: The sample consisted of 271 participants with 110 males and 161 females, with the mean age of 24.72+ 4.174 years. The sample consisted of 36.2% of medical students, 49.1% of doctors and 14.8% of paramedical staff. Nearly 50.6% of the individuals claim to receive formal training. 47.6% believe that “Health-care workers’ hands when not clean” are the main route of cross-transmission. Nearly 57.2% believed that the hospital environment (surfaces)the most frequent source of germs. Comparison of hand-rubbing and washing revealed that major percentage believe hand rub to be rapid however less effective causing dryness. A majority believe that hand hygiene before touching the patient, immediately after exposure to body fluids or immediate surroundings of patients prevents transmission of germs to the patient and vice versa afterwards prevents transmission to HCW. Conclusion: A large proportion of the sample has considerable knowledge regarding essential hand hygiene in a health care setting. However more frequent training sessions should be conducted to improve it further. Key words: Hand hygiene, Health-care workers, Knowledge


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-214
Author(s):  
M. Mukhtar-Yola ◽  
B. Andrew

Background: Health care workers at the bedside of critically ill babies freely carry their mobile phones in between procedures and handling  patients. Concerns are rising as this may contribute to nosocomial infections with pathogenic bacteria. Aim: To determine if mobile phones of health care workers in Intensive care units carry potentially pathogenic bacteria leading to hospital acquired infections. Design: Systematic review.Data sources: Electronic databases (Medline via ovid, CINAHL, Web of science) and hand Searching of references and citations were done to identify studies. Screening and inclusion criteria were used to identify studies with a cross-sectional or cohort design. The search was limited to journal articles published between 2008-2015 and to English language. Quality assessment was done using the National Institute of Health tool for observational studies. Data was extracted on to excel sheets and analysed using SPSS version 22.Results: Six studies with a cohort (1) or cross-sectional design (5) involving 1, 131 health care workers were reviewed. The overall quality of the studies was fair, and a narrative synthesis was done. The colonization rate of the mobile phones ranged between 46.3 % and a 100% with 13-50% carrying potentially pathogenic multidrug resistant microorganisms. Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycine resistant enterococci, acinobacter and coagulase negative staphylococci were reported across all studies and were recognized as leading causes of morbidity and mortalityin the ICU. Conclusion: Mobile phones Of HCW are portals of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, which could result in morbidity and mortality.Although no causal relationship could be established, strong associations have been reported. Guidelines by hospital infection control committees are needed on restriction, care and routine cleaning of mobile phones as well as further research. Key words: Health care worker, Intensive care unit, Hospital Acquired Infections, mobile phones


2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Anargh ◽  
Harpreet Singh ◽  
Aniket Kulkarni ◽  
Atul Kotwal ◽  
Ajoy Mahen

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-207
Author(s):  
AM Jibo ◽  
RS Karaye ◽  
AU Gajida ◽  
AA Abulfathi

Nigeria is making effort to address the child mortality burden by increasing vaccine coverage rates, yet the vaccine coverage falls short of 90% target. Scaling up of new and under-used vaccines to 90% coverage could save more than 600,000 Nigerian children. Healthcare givers knowledge of vaccine used for immunization is essential to increase the vaccine uptake rates. This study assesses the knowledge of routine, underutilized and future vaccines among health workers. A cross sectional descriptive study was done among health care workers at a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Using a pre-tested semi structured interviewer administered questionnaire, 220 respondents were selected by cluster sampling technique. The health workers’ knowledge of these vaccines was assessed using a scale developed for the study. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 22.The mean age of the respondents was 31.9 + 5.7 years . Doctors and nurses formed more than half of the respondents, 51.8% (n=114). About three quarters of respondents 72.3% (n=159) had good knowledge of vaccines used in routine immunizations. Knowledge of under-utilized and future vaccine was low with less than a fifth 18.6% (n=41) and one tenth 9.1% (n=20) having good knowledge scores respectively. Similarly, poor perception scores of future vaccines were observed in 90.1% (n=218) of the respondents. Only marital status was associated with knowledge of underutilized vaccines (p<0.05) and no association was observed between other sociodemographic variables and knowledge of these vaccines (P>0.05). The awareness level of health care workers on routine immunization is high. Their knowledge and perception of under-utilized and future vaccines were however low. There is, therefore, need for more training and retraining of health care workers on the vaccines.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Medha Mathur ◽  
Navgeet Mathur

Abstract Background After the launch of COVID-19 vaccine by the government of India in 2021, the current study was conducted to assess the vaccine hesitancy among health care workers regarding COVID-19 vaccination and its safety, efficacy, rolling out strategy and undesirable effects. Methods This cross-sectional study, conducted on health care workers vaccinated at a tertiary care center of southern Rajasthan using a pre-designed and pre-validated questionnaire to collect data through the ‘Exit Interview’ technique after consent and ethical approval. Results Out of 3102, 56.8% were male and 43.2% were female health care workers. Out of total 80.7% and 73.2% of study participants perceived the vaccine as safe and effective respectively. The vaccine hesitancy was contributed due to apprehension for undesirable effects following immunization (19.3%). The commonest undesirable effect was pain at the injection site. The perception regarding the timing of rolling out of vaccine and readiness for COVID appropriate behavior after vaccination was significant (p &lt; 0.001). The mean time spent at vaccination site was 33.90 (±11.34) minutes ranging 5-120 minutes (median = 35; interquartile range (IQR) = 10; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 33.50-34.30). Conclusions The study concludes that the apprehension of undesirable effects contributed to vaccine hesitancy, but it was perceived safe and effective by health care workers. Key messages The vaccine hesitancy among general population and vaccine acceptance will be affected directly by instance shown by health care workers who presented themselves at the forefront both for battling the pandemic and accepting the vaccine.


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