The practice of hand hygiene among undergraduate medical students

Abstract

Background: Health care-associated infections (also called hospital-acquired or nosocomial infections) add to the morbidity and mortality and costs that one might expect from the underlying illness alone. All this has led to concerted efforts to implement infection control programs in all teaching hospitals, hospitals, and other health centers; the quality of such programs reflects the overall standard of care provided by the institution. The practice of hand hygiene is a simple yet effective way to prevent infections. Cleaning of the hands can prevent the spread of microorganisms, specifically those that are multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), and that are getting troublesome, if certainly feasible, to treat. These factors, compounded by the scarcity of accessibility of new antimicrobials, have required a relook into the function of essential acts of contamination counteraction in current medical services. Good hand hygiene practice, including the use of alcohol-based hand rubs and handwashing with soap and water, is critical to reducing the risk of spreading infections in ambulatory care settings. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of hand hygiene of undergraduate medical students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of Microbiology, N.C. Medical College and Hospital, Israna, Panipat, Haryana, India, over six months from January 2018 to May 2018. A total of 147 students from the second professional year were told to fill a questionnaire consisting of their age, gender, class, washing of hands with soap and water before eating food, washing with soap and water after urinating, washing with soap and water after defecating, washing hands after using the practical laboratory, the reason for the disinfection of the body, and the number of illnesses in the past one year. Results: Analysis of the outcome demonstrated that the medical students studied were careful about the average towards hand hygiene and on an overall note have come to embrace the importance of hand hygiene stressing on the numerous adverse effects its lack of practice have come to prove over the years. Conclusion: A connection between hand cleanliness, sickness rate, and explanations behind not rehearsing hand cleanliness appears in the outcomes. The current examination proposes that both handwashing and the utilization of hand sanitizers have a beneficial outcome on the health of medical students. The results of improved hand cleanliness propensities for the students bring about diminished medical services costs for the college since fewer students may need to use well-being focus assets.

Keywords

• hand hygiene
• health care-associated infections
• medical students
• practice