ORIGINAL PAPER
Compliance with hygiene procedures among medical faculty students
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Uniwersytet Medyczny we Wrocławiu / Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
(Katedra i Zakład Higieny / Departament of Hygiene)
Corresponding author
Agata Kawalec
Uniwersytet Medyczny we Wrocławiu,
Katedra i Zakład Higieny, ul. J. Mikulicza-Radeckiego 7, 50-435 Wrocław
Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2014;65(5):593-9
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Background: Many of the healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are transmitted by healthcare workers’ hands, which actively
contributes to transferring pathogens from patient to patient and within the healthcare environment. Hand hygiene is the easiest
and cheapest method for preventing HCAIs. The article presents the compliance with hygiene procedures in a group of medical
students of the Wroclaw Medical University. Material and Methods: The anonymous survey was conducted among 112 students.
The survey included questions about the frequency of disinfection of hands and stethoscopes, changing clothes into clean ones,
compliance with recommendations for healthcare workers, as well as subjective assessment of the availability of disinfectants in
the hospital. Results: The results of the survey revealed that 35.7% of students did not disinfect their hands before each patient’s
examination, 90% of them indicated limited access to disinfectants as the most important reason. The majority (93.8%) of respondents
were trained in hand hygiene. In 34.82% the availability of disinfectants in hospitals was assesed as good, 62.5% of respondents
drew attention to the fact that the dispensers were often empty. Compliance with recommendations for healthcare workers:
66.9% posessed white coat with short sleeves, 52.68% wore wristwatch or jewelery on their hands, 50% of students laundered white
coat less frequently than once a week, 9.82% did not disinfect their stethoscope at all, 15.18% did that before each patient’s examination.
Conclusions: Students compliance with hand hygiene now and in their future work as doctors is the easiest method for
preventing HCAIs. Providing easy access to disinfectants in the hospital environment and shaping hygiene habits during clinical
activities play an essential role. Med Pr 2014;65(5):593–599