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Purpose: This research was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the status of handwashing, which is important and an effective method of preventing and controlling hospital infections, by health care workers in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and to make recommendations based on the results.
Method: The data were collected in a university hospital’s NICU in Istanbul between 8 am and 2 pm between September 2006 and March 2007. The research sample included 28 health care workers (physicians and nurses) who agreed to participate voluntarily in the study. A total of 344 observations were made of situations requiring handwashing. The observations were analyzed according to a prepared form on which data were recorded about whether or not handwashing took place in situations that required handwashing, the handwashing technique and duration. Later a questionnaire to determine the observed health care workers’ knowledge about handwashing was answered by the participants.
Results: The health care workers’ handwashing compliance rate was 58.14%and no statistically significant difference between physicians and nurses was found in whether or not handwashing was done. However the percentage of handwashing compliance was higher for the nurses (62.50%) than for the physicians (52.63%). In the analysis of handwashing technique and duration the physicians (23.75%) had a higher percentage of correct technique and duration than the nurses (13.33%), but the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion: In conclusion it was determined that no statistically significant difference between physicians and nurses was found in whether or not handwashing was done, but in the analysis of handwashing technique and duration the physicians had a higher percentage of correct technique and duration than the nurses.