HAND HYGIENE PRACTICES AMONG MEDICAL AND ALLIED HEALTH STUDENTS BASED ON WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL GUIDELINES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
Main Article Content
Keywords
Hand hygiene, WHO Five Moments, Ten-Step Hand-washing Technique, Infection Prevention and Control
Abstract
Background: Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure for preventing healthcare-associated infections. Despite wide recognition of its importance, a gap frequently exists between health sciences students' knowledge of hand hygiene principles and their actual practice.
Objective: To assess compliance with WHO Five Moments for Hand Hygiene and the WHO Ten-Step Handwashing Technique among health sciences students.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Baqai Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan, from March, 2025 to August, 2025. Using stratified random sampling, 280 undergraduate students from five academic programmes were enrolled. Compliance was recorded in real time using a structured observational checklist incorporating both the WHO Five Moments framework and the WHO Ten-Step Handwashing Technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26. Chi-square tests examined associations while Spearman rank-order correlation assessed relationship between continuous scores. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Overall, 88.9% of students demonstrated good Five-Moment hand hygiene practice, whereas only 26.4% achieved good compliance with the WHO Ten-Step Handwashing Technique. Academic programme was significantly associated with both Five-Moment practice (χ² = 27.504, df = 4, p < 0.001) and Ten-Step compliance (χ² = 20.926, df = 4, p < 0.001). A weak, non-significant correlation was observed between Five-Moment practice scores and Ten-Step compliance scores (Spearman's rho = 0.088, p = 0.141).
Conclusion: A significant knowledge–practice gap was observed among health sciences students, with good awareness of hand hygiene not translating into adequate handwashing technique. Compliance varied by academic programme but not by year of study.
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