| Nosocomial infections are considered a major risk factor in hospital wards, and hand hygiene is the first
step in their control. An observational study was conducted in 2015 with 200 nurses working in intensive
care units in teaching hospitals of Tabriz, Iran. Data were collected by using the Hand Hygiene
Observation Tool questionnaire. The researchers monitored nurses’ opportunities for hand hygiene during
the 8-week period from February 3-April 4, 2015. A total of 1,067 opportunities occurred for hand hygiene
before and after wearing gloves. The results show that hand hygiene compliance before wearing gloves
is poor among nurses who work in intensive care units (14.8%). Therefore it is necessary to conduct effective
interventions through continuing education programs to improve hand hygiene compliance. |