A Study among Health Care Workers for Handhygiene Safety in Tertiary Care Hospital, Bundelkhand Region.

Background: Hand hygiene is crucial for preventing healthcare-associated infections and ensuring patient safety. Developed countries and developing countries have 5-10% and 40% respectively acquired infection, according to WHO. This study evaluates hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers in a tertiary care hospital in the Bundelkhand region of India. Aim & Objective:To observe and evaluate the hand hygiene practices among doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff in various departments of the hospital. Settings and Design:Cross sectional study. Methods and Material:A cross-sectional study was conducted over seven months, involving doctors, nurses, and ward boys across clinical departments. The World Health Organization (WHO) Hand Hygiene Observation Form was used for data collection. The study focused on hand hygiene practices before and after specific patient interactions. Statistical analysis used: MS words excel sheet Results: Of 521 healthcare workers observed, hand hygiene practices varied by department and professional category. The Medicine department exhibited the highest hand hygiene practices at 91%, while the TB and Chest department showed the lowest at 68.8%. Among professionals, nurses had a 74.8% hand hygiene actions, compared to 88.1% for consultants, 91.3% for senior residents, and 90.5% for junior residents. Non-PG junior residents and emergency medical officers achieved 100% hand hygiene practices. Hand hygiene was performed 82.6% of the time before touching patients and 92.1% before aseptic procedures. Hand hygiene was highest after body fluid exposure (95.1%) but lower after touching patients (82.8%) and their surroundings (81.3%). Conclusions: Ensuring consistent hand hygiene practices across all departments and professional categories is essential for enhancing patient safety and infection control. Regular training according to WHO guidelines are important for improving hand hygiene practices.