Investigation of hand hygiene knowledge level of physiotherapy and rehabilitation students

Abstract

Introduction: Increasing health care students' awareness about the hand hygiene (HH) during the pre-graduation period becomes an important requirement for providing both patient's safety and the healthcare student's safety by preventing healthcare associated infections (HCAIs). Although it has been emphasized that rehabilitation clinics are important places to be taken into consideration in the transmission of HCAIs, the number of studies about the students from department of physiotherapy and rehabilitation (DPR) are limited. Thus, our research was done to examine the HH knowledge level of students of DPR. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was done by 191 volunteers from a total of 209 first and second-year students. We recorded the sociodemographic characteristics. Based on the suggestions commented in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for HH in Health Care Settings, HH knowledge levels were assessed using face to face interview technique. Results: The average correct answer rate to the questions about the HH knowledge level was 69.49%. The level of knowledge about the importance of HH was good, but the correct response rates for terminology and alcohol-based handrub were less than 50%. Conclusions: Since DPR students form an important ring in the therapy chain, so in the development of educational programs for the students of DPR, it is very important to improve their knowledge level especially about terminology and alcohol-based handrub techniques. © 2018 A. CARBONE Editore.