Determining the Comparison of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hand Hygiene among Medical Laboratory Technician and Nursing Students in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Hand hygiene is a practice that prevents cross-transmission of microorganisms from one person to the other thereby reducing the incidence of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). This study was carried out to investigate and determine Nursing and Medical Laboratory Technician students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about hand washing using a validated questionnaire. The study objectives were to investigate the knowledge and understanding of the importance of hand hygiene in infection transmission and prevention; assess the attitudes towards hand washing education and practice; identify how ready the students are to practice according to quality standards in hand hygiene and to compare the knowledge, attitudes and practices between Nursing and Medical Laboratory Technician Students in Jos. The findings highlight that both groups are knowledgeable, eager to practice and show positive attitudes to hand hygiene practice as healthcare workers. Additionally there were no significant differences found between the two groups in hand hygiene knowledge, practice, and attitude in Jos. There is a need to keep emphasizing good hand hygiene practices to the students after graduation and during practice for effective hand hygiene and prevention of cross infection.