[Impact of an educational intervention for promoting handwashing and the rational use of gloves in a hospital].
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the impact of educational intervention on hand washing and gloves use.


METHODS
The educational intervention consisted of a one-hour weekly workshop aimed at doctors and nurses, with a previous questionnaire on hand-washing, a presentation talk on three key points (hand washing, use of gloves, alcohol-based solutions). Adherence to hand washing and use of gloves was re-evaluated 6-9 months after the intervention.


RESULTS
We conducted 34 workshops for 296 health care workers, 239 (80.4%) women and 57 (19.6%) men, with an average age of 40.1 years (range, 18-62 years). Most were nurses (41.2%), nursing assistants (37.8%) and physicians (8.2%). Compliance to hand washing ranged between 29% and 87%. The gloves were used in maneuvers not indicated (19% before giving meals and a 27.7% when performing an ECG). Compliance with hand washing 6-9 months after the workshop improved significantly (p < 0.05) in three of the 5 items. The use of gloves was not significantly different. The intensity of the intervention was inversely related to the incidence of nosocomial infections (RR for every 100 workers intervened in the previous month = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.789-1.003; p = 0.057).


CONCLUSIONS
The training workshops had a positive impact on hand washing compliance, but there was no significant change in the use of gloves. The introduction of education has an inverse relationship to the incidence of nosocomial infections.
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, Hospital Lluís Alcanyís, Xàtiva, Valencia, Spain. Tenias_jma@gva.es
José María
JM
Tenías
Carles
C
Mayordomo
Maria Luisa
ML
Benavent
Mercedes San Félix
MS
Micó
Maria Angeles
MA
García Esparza
Rosa Antonio
RA
Oriola
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004494:Education Department, Hospital; D005260:Female; D017575:Gloves, Protective / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006078:Government Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult