Nurses’ Perception, Barriers and Associated Factors towards Hand Hygiene Practices for Prevention of Healthcare Acquired Infections in the Intensive Care Units

Introduction: Healthcare-Acquired Infections occur within 72 hours of hospitalization, surgical-related infections, and surgical site infections that develop 30 to 90 days after the procedure. They particularly impact critically ill patients due to their weakened immune systems, with hand washing being the most effective prevention method. Objective of the study: Assessing nurses’ perceptions, barriers, and the impact of socio-demographic factors towards hand hygiene practices in ICUs. Methods: The study included 65 ICU nurses from three referral hospitals, using a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design and whole population sampling. The data were collected from 05th November 2021 to 11th Feb 2022. Data analysis was conducted with SPSS software version 21. Results: Seventy percent of participants viewed health-acquired infections (HAIs) as serious and susceptible, while 83.1% recognized the benefits of hand hygiene. The most commonly cited barrier to hand hygiene was allergies to products, reported by 32.3% of respondents. Positive perceptions of hand hygiene were significantly associated with the working institution and in-service training, with a P-value of less than 0.05. Conclusion: The study investigated nurses' perceptions, barriers, and factors influencing hand hygiene practices in ICUs. It revealed that allergies to hand hygiene products hinder the hand hygiene adherence, while institutional policies and in service training boost It. Recommendations: There is a need for conducting research using an observational checklist to assess HH adherence among ICU nurses, enhancing nursing education on HH, and improving in-service training for managerial teams in three hospitals.