ANALYSING HAND HYGIENE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AND NURSING STAFF: IDENTIFYING THE GAPS

Background: Hand hygiene is regarded as the cornerstone of infection control practices to reducethe cross-transmission of microorganisms, healthcare-associated infections, and the spread of antimicrobial resistance across all healthcare settings. Assessment of knowledge and attitude towards hand hygiene among healthcare workers is essential to plan interventions to improve adherence to hand hygiene. Objective: The present study aimed to study the knowledge and attitude towards hand hygiene among medical students and nursing staff of a newly established tertiary care academic institute in centralIndia. Materials and methods: This Cross-sectional study included 247 participants comprising undergraduate medical students and nursing staff. They were assessed for knowledgeand attitude on hand hygiene using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the software SPSS (version 21). Result: In the present study, both the group of participants, nursing staff and medical students, had a fair knowledge of many aspects of hand hygiene which was a positive sign. Nursing staff had significantly better knowledge than undergraduate medical students on hand hygiene(p<0.001). The majority of students and nursing staff had positive attitudes about hand hygiene. Conclusion: Though the participants had general knowledge about hand hygiene, they differed in certain areas, like the type of hand hygiene method required in different situations. Identifying the gaps in knowledge regarding hand hygiene helps to plan interventions to improve compliance with hand hygiene.