Assessment of hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices among medical and non-medical students in the post COVID-19 pandemic era in Trinidad and Tobago

The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of hand hygiene (HH) in infection prevention and control. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of HH in Trinidad and Tobago have been underexplored. This study examines the KAPs of HH among medical and non-medical students (years 1–3) post-pandemic. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2024 using a questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO). The study was carried out among medical students at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) and non-medical students at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. Data were collected from students (years 1–3) and analyzed using SPSS (Version 29). The Chi2 test was used for categorical variables. The sample included 273 medical and 269 non-medical students, predominantly female and aged 21–25 years. Medical students showed higher knowledge of proper handwashing duration (81.32% medical vs. 44.61% non-medical, p < 0.001). 93% of participants displayed the attitude that it is important to was hand after public outings. Most participants (93.9%) displayed the attitude that they were more inclined to wash their hands when there were a greater number of convenient facilities to do so. Both groups practiced handwashing before and after meals and after using the washroom (87.56% medical vs. 89.6% non-medical, p = 0.001). Pre-pandemic, students only washed their hands 1–3 times compared to post-pandemic, where the frequency increased to $$\:\ge\:6$$ times daily, p = 0.001. Both groups supported increasing handwashing stations (p < 0.001). Though medical students displayed deeper knowledge about HH, both student groups exhibited positive attitudes and HH practices. Increasing handwashing stations was suggested for improving HH practices.