Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Quality and Safety, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Am J Infect Control. 2021 Aug;49(8):1000-1007. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.02.015. Epub 2021 Mar 1.
Patient, family, and visitor hand hygiene can prevent health care-associated infections, but little is known about their hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices. We aimed to assess patient, family, and visitor hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices at a pediatric and maternity hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Surveys based on the Theoretical Domains Framework were distributed to patients, families, and visitors to provide cross-sectional qualitative and quantitative data. This was supplemented with covert observations by trained medical students to determine patient, family, and visitor hand hygiene rates.
Of 348 survey respondents, there was a clear preference for hand washing with soap and water over use of alcohol-based hand rub. Beliefs about consequences were the main driver for hand hygiene. Self-reported hand hygiene rates were higher than observed rates. The overall hand hygiene rate was observed to be 10.3% (72/701), with soap and water used for 75% of hand hygiene events.
There are misconceptions regarding hand hygiene practices and low hand hygiene rates among patients, families, and visitors. Development of interventions to improve hand hygiene should focus on correcting misconceptions and emphasizing consequences of failing to perform hand hygiene in the health care setting.
患者、家属和访客的手部卫生可以预防医源性感染，但人们对他们的手部卫生知识、态度和实践知之甚少。我们旨在评估加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华市一家儿科和妇产科医院的患者、家属和访客的手部卫生知识、态度和实践。
基于理论领域框架的调查分发给患者、家属和访客，提供横断面定性和定量数据。此外，还通过经过培训的医学生进行了秘密观察，以确定患者、家属和访客的手部卫生率。
在 348 名调查受访者中，人们明显更喜欢用肥皂和水洗手，而不是使用酒精基手部消毒剂。对后果的信念是手部卫生的主要驱动因素。自我报告的手部卫生率高于观察到的率。总体手部卫生率为 10.3%（72/701），其中 75%的手部卫生事件使用肥皂和水。
患者、家属和访客对手部卫生实践存在误解，手部卫生率较低。应针对改善手部卫生的干预措施，重点纠正误解，并强调在医疗环境中不进行手部卫生的后果。
