Knowledge, opinion and practice of hand washing among medical students in Ajman, UAE

ABSTRACT

Thorough hand washing during patient contact significantly reduces transmission of infections. It is a simple, effective and cheap method of preventing infections. Hand washing practice, an important component of universal work precautions, should be imbibed as a habit and way of life among medical students for them to be safe practitioners of the future. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge, opinion and practice about hand washing among medical students during patient contact. Medical students in all five years registered during the academic year 2009/10 participated in this cross sectional study. A structured, open-ended, self-administered, piloted questionnaire was used. Chi-square test was used to assess associations. About 96.4% of students understood the importance of washing hands to prevent infections. 78.5% of students always and 21.1% occasionally washed hands after touching patients; 89.7% always and 1.8% occasionally washed hands after contact with blood and body fluids. Knowledge and attitude about hand washing is satisfactory among medical students; nevertheless hand washing workshops need to be conducted at regular intervals to further improve hand washing compliance among medical students as per universal work precaution protocol