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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to learn about the compliance rate with hand hygiene among nurses and nursing assistants in the nursing homes.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to know how to conduct an observational study in nursing homes.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed. A total of 782 opportunities for hand hygiene were observed in two freestanding nursing homes in Taiwan. The hand-hygiene observation tool (HHOT) was used to record hand hygiene practice by one trained research assistant for one week in each facility. Data were analyzed using SPSS version18.0 for frequencies, percentages, mean, and odds ratio.
Results: The compliance rate of hand hygiene practices among the nursing staff in the nursing homes was 11.3%. Nurses had a higher compliance rate than nursing assistants (17.6% vs. 6.0%, P = 0.000). The compliance with hand hygiene among nursing staff was greater after contact with the body fluids of the residents when compared to other activities (odds ratio = 6.9, CI = 3.75 to 9.88, p = 0.000). In addition, it was lower before performing aseptic procedures or treatments when compared to other activities (odds ratio = 0.15, CI = 0.04 to 0.63, P = 0.003).
Conclusion: Hand hygiene compliance was significantly low among the nurses and nursing assistants in the nursing homes in Taiwan. The findings suggest that the immediate action must be taken to improve nursing staff compliance with hand hygiene.