Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1432445

Evaluating hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare workers in post-pandemic H1N1 Influenza control: A crosssectional study from China

Provisionally accepted
Yuling Xu Yuling Xu Yuling Xu Yuling Xu *
  • Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Wuhan University, Enshi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: This study evaluates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of hand hygiene among healthcare workers, crucial for preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in medical facilities. Methodology: This cross-sectional study assessed hand hygiene KAP among healthcare workers across various settings in Hubei, China utilizing a stratified random sampling approach from, December 25, 2023-to-April 25, 2024. A bilingual electronic survey, adapted from validated tools, was disseminated via email and social media to ensure a broad reach. Participants included diverse healthcare professionals who met specific inclusion criteria. Responses were analyzed using R software, employing descriptive and inferential statistics to identify key predictors of hand hygiene behavior and to confirm the reliability of the survey instrument. Results: The survey of 2,265 healthcare workers revealed that 77% demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of hand hygiene, 80% exhibited positive attitudes, and 94% practiced effective hand hygiene. Notable findings include a significant understanding of hand hygiene’s role in preventing respiratory illnesses (58%) and HAIs (41% agreed, 39% unsure). High compliance in practices like washing hands for at least 20 seconds was evident (84%), though gaps in confidence about hand hygiene techniques were noted (33% confident, 56% unsure). Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that younger healthcare workers (21-30 years) were more likely to exhibit both knowledge (OR=7.4, 95% CI=1.44-136, p=0.059) and positive attitudes (OR=4.48, 95% CI=1.73-11.8, p<0.001) compared to other age groups. Significant associations were found between higher income levels and positive attitudes towards hand hygiene (OR for ≥80,000=3.19, 95% CI=2.05-5.02, p<0.001), and between knowledge and practices, suggesting that well-informed individuals are more likely to adhere to recommended practices. Conclusion: The findings reveal robust hand hygiene knowledge but uncover critical confidence gaps among healthcare workers, urging immediate, targeted educational interventions to fortify adherence and prevent infection outbreaks.

    Keywords: Hand Hygiene, Healthcare-associated infections (hais), Healthcare workers, Infection prevention, influenza

    Received: 14 May 2024; Accepted: 10 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xu and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yuling Xu, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Wuhan University, Enshi, 445000, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.