[Compliance with handwashing in health care settings].

UNLABELLED

Many studies report low compliance with handwashing in health care settings, even if it is considered an important factor to reduce cross transmission.

METHODS

Observational study in University Hospital with external observers.

RESULTS

The observers recorded 1262 opportunities for handwashing among 49 nurses. The average of the opportunities was 8,8 handwashing/hour (d.s. +/- 5.05, range 0 divided by 23). The compliance was 19,3%. Compliance was higher in intensive care unit (25,6 %) than in medical ward (18,1 %) and surgical ward (13,9 %). There were no difference between males (19 %) and females (19.4%). Compliance with handwashing was significantly better in post procedure (34%) than in pre procedure (10.6%) and was worst when the workload was higher.

CONCLUSIONS

The study confirms the low adhesion to handwashing international recommendations and suggests to adopt "ad hoc" educational programs and suitable structural/operative conditions.