Exploring the factors associated with hand hygiene compliance of nurses during routine clinical practice

BackgroundNurses and other health care providers (HCPs) continue to be noncompliant with the guidelines of proper hand hygiene practices.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore the factors associated with hand hygiene compliance among HCPs during routine clinical.MethodsAn observational study was conducted at an oncology hospital to examine hand hygiene practices observed during 612 procedures that were performed by 67 HCPs.ResultsHand hygiene compliance was 41.7% (n = 255) before procedure and 72.1% (n = 441) after the procedure. The overall compliance was only 34.3% (n = 210). Compliance with the standards of hand hygiene was higher in high-risk procedures (odds ratio [OR] = 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18–2.65) and when HCPs were exposed to blood (OR = 1.40; 95% CI, 1.07–1.73).ConclusionThe findings highlight the need to continue to push compliance with hand hygiene using innovative approaches that go beyond teaching and in-service training.