A Study on Hand Hygiene Practices among Medical Interns in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Introduction Health-care associated infections are on a rise and the organisms causing these infections are most commonly transmitted through the hands of the health care workers. Objectives To assess the hand hygiene practices among interns in a medical college hospital. Methodology A study was planned to assess the self-reported practices of interns.110 medical interns volunteered to participate in the study. Results Hand hygiene on all the five moments as recommended by WHO was practiced by 54 (49.1 %) of the interns. Hand Hygiene before patient care was observed by 81 (73.6 %) interns, before clean aseptic procedures was performed by 94 (85.5 %) interns, on exposure to body fluids was performed by 97 (88.2 %) interns always. Hand hygiene between patient care was performed by 83 (75.5 %) interns and after patient care was 100 %. Conclusion Overall Hand Hygiene practices among the medical interns were satisfactory.