Sustained hand hygiene practices among nurses during the post COVID-19 era: a cross-sectional study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Globally, the burden of infectious diseases is significant. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers who are the frontline of patient care. Ensuring compliance to hand hygiene practices has multidimensional significance including overall infection prevention control and prevention of antibiotics overuse. This study aimed to understand the current hand hygiene practices during the post COVID-19 era and its associated factors among nurses at Regional Referral Hospitals in Dar es Salaam. An analytical cross-sectional study design was conducted in May 2024 involving a total of 395 nurses. A modified Poisson Regression was fitted to determine the factors associated with hand hygiene practices among nurses’ during the post-COVID-19 era. Hand hygiene practices among nurses was reported at 79.9%, with higher rates observed in male nurses aPR = 1.16 (95%CI 1.04–1.29), over 45 years old aPR = 1.32 (95%CI 1.10–1.57), in late career stages with over 20 years of experience aPR = 1.13 (95%CI 1.01–2.31), having good knowledge and a positive attitude towards hand hygiene aPR = 1.88(95% CI 1.34–2.65) and aPR = 1.37(95% CI 1.04–2.92) respectively. Six out of ten nurses received hand hygiene training in the past three years. Although essential infrastructures like sinks (98%), running water (89%), and soap (98%) were readily available in all hospitals, the inconsistent availability of hand sanitizer (56%) and drying materials (16%) potentially hindered frequent hand hygiene practices. Hand hygiene practice was reported to be good among nurses despite an inadequate supply of alcohol-based hand sanitizer and hand drying materials. Targeted training for younger and early career nurses, infrastructure improvements to encourage hand hygiene practices at hospital environments are recommended.