Assessment of hand hygiene procedures during the pre- and post-pandemic period: a pre-post study

Abstract

Background: hospital infections affect about 6% of hospitalised patients in Europe; the hands of healthcare workers, who are front-line staff and frequently exposed to infected patients and contaminated surfaces, are the primary source of microbial transmission. Thus, hand washing procedures are essential to lowering the risk of occupational exposure to infectious diseases, hospital-acquired infections, and micro-organism cross-transmission. The aim of this study was to see if the COVID-19 pandemic had any effect on hand-washing adherence rates by conducting a pre-post pandemic wave study from the pre-pandemic year 2019 to the post-pandemic years 2020/2022. Methods: an observational, retrospective, single-center study. The study considers hand hygiene observations of all personnel employed as healthcare staff from 2019, during the pre-pandemic period, and in the three years following the outbreak from 2020 to 2022, during the post-pandemic period and a specific study on hydroalcoholic gel consumption. The study will use the “Hand Hygiene Observation Form”, to evaluate adherence to best practices. Conclusions: a dedicated facility that promotes the application of the recommended hand hygiene behavior and ongoing improvement and training initiatives, is crucial to ensure and improve the compliance of all healthcare workers.