Gender differences in hand hygiene among Saudi nursing students

Abstract

Hand hygiene is a very simple set of procedure but has a great impact to health. It is the most common method of infection control in any health care setting and is a fundamental element of patient safety. Student nurses have direct contact to patients and other members of the healthcare team during their tour of duty. Thus, it is essential to evaluate their knowledge, attitude, practice and performance of hand hygiene and understand the differences between genders. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the gender differences on knowledge, attitude and practices to hand hygiene and the performance of the 5 moments of hand hygiene among Saudi nursing students. A structured questionnaire with 4 parts was used to gather data on knowledge, attitude and practices on hand hygiene and the students’ self-reported performance of the 5 moments of hand hygiene. Results reveal that both male and female nursing students have moderate knowledge on hand hygiene. Females have better attitude towards hand hygiene and higher self-reported performance of the 5 moments of hand hygiene. On the other hand, male students have better practice on hand hygiene. There is a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between their attitude and practice. Gender differences on attitude, practice and performance of hand hygiene were established. Knowledge of both genders needs to be improved. Gender-specific hand hygiene educational interventions are essential in order to meet the gender-specific needs of the students.