Healthcare Professionals’ Adherence to Hand Hygiene in a Kangaroo Intermediate Care Unit
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective: To evaluate adherence to hand hygiene among health professionals working in a Kangaroo Intermediate Care Unit. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, quantitative study, carried out between August and October 2020, with an interdisciplinary team, working in the Kangaroo Intermediate Care Unit. Direct observations of hand hygiene occurred in the morning, afternoon and night shifts, on weekdays. Descriptive statistics were used, through Pearson’s Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, with p<0.05. Results: 200 hand hygiene opportunities were observed, among 25 professionals, with an overall adherence rate of 50%. Speech therapists and occupational therapists had the highest adherence rate (5-100.0% and 8-100.0%, respectively), followed by nurses (40-55.6%) and doctors (13-50.0%). Nursing technicians had a greater number of observations (80-40%), however, a lower adherence rate (30-37.5%). The afternoon shift was the one with the highest adherence (43-58.1%), using water and soap (40-54.1%). There was a significant difference between work shifts and professional category; shifts and methods used for hand hygiene (p<0.001); hand hygiene and shift (p=0.012); hygiene and professional category (p=0.001). Conclusion: Monitoring the rate of adherence of health professionals to hand hygiene at UCINCa aims to generate indicators, which when published can promote reflections to change attitudes, ensuring a safe and healthy environment.
Source: Enfermagem em Foco
Institution: Universidade Federal do Ceará
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204143741