Evaluation of the Nurses’ Level of Knowledge Regarding Hand Hygiene and Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Survey

摘要

The level of knowledge on hand hygiene (HH) and healthcare-associated infections (HAI) directlyinfluences the medical staff’s practice of HH and the rate of HAI. Continuous Medical Education(CME) is an important way of improving knowledge, increasing HH compliance and reducing HAIrates. The aim of the study was to asses the nurses’ knowledge regarding HH and HAI in order toidentify their educational needs. From February to June 2018, a study was conducted, which includednurses participating in an educational program on HAI management that took place at the premisesof The Order of Nurses, Midwives and Medical Assistants in Romania - Bucharest Branch. Aquestionnaire with 25 items from the following six specific areas: HAI, HH, Disinfection and sterilization,Standard precautions and transmission-based precautions, Accidental exposure to biological products, and Themanagement of medical waste was used to assess the knowledge at the end of the educational program. Atotal of 236 nurses were included in the study. The average score of the group was 8.38+1.03. Threeimportant specific areas where nurses encountered problems in identifying the right answer havebeen identified: HAI, HH, Disinfection and sterilization. Almost sixty-eight percentage of the nurses hadinadequate knowledge (scores lower than 9) of HH and HAI prevention, and 39.0% of the nurseshad an insufficient level of knowledge (scores lower than 8), which may be a potential barrier to HAIprevention. Identifying specific areas where nurses have knowledge deficits facilitates thedevelopment of a CME strategy centered on the nurses’ educational needs.