Patterns of Hand Washing among Healthcare Workers in APIN Public Health Initiatives Supported States in Southwest Nigeria

Background A strict adherence to hand hygiene by healthcare workers is critical in limiting healthcare-associated infections. Aim This study aims to assess the patterns of hand washing among healthcare workers in APIN Public Health Initiatives supported states in southwest, Nigeria. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out across 3 States (Oyo, Ogun, and Ondo) in Southwest, Nigeria from January, 2024 to June, 2024. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to recruit the respondents. A descriptive analysis on hand hygiene was performed, while chi-square statistics was used to determine an association. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for this study. Results The rate of awareness and compliance to hand washing measures among the participants were 56.5% and 54.6% respectively while the patterns of hand hygiene among the respondents was 65.5%. Inadequate running water supply, non-availability of handwash materials, no time/being too busy and forgetfulness were identified as the major barriers to hand washing practices. Profession was significantly associated with hand hygiene level of awareness (p = 0.001), while age (p = 0.001), profession (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the level of compliance to hand washing practices. Conclusion This study shows that the hand hygiene level of awareness, compliance and patterns among respondents is poor. Continuous mentorship is required to optimize the patterns of hand hygiene.