The current status of hand washing and glove use among care staff in Japan: its association with the education, knowledge, and attitudes of staff, and infection control by facilities.
OBJECTIVE
Hand hygiene is a basic measure to prevent infections. The purpose of this study was to obtain suggestions for the improvement of hand hygiene by evaluating the education, knowledge, and attitudes of care staff at facilities for the elderly in regard to hand washing and glove use, as well as infection control policies by those facilities.


METHODS
Among a total of 147 special nursing homes and health service facilities for the elderly in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, questionnaires were sent from October to November 2007 to 56 facilities which had agreed to participate in this survey. Two types of questionnaire, one for the facility manager and the other for care staff, were sent to each facility.


RESULTS
The questionnaire was responded to by 42 managers (response rate 28.6%) and 1,323 staff members (response rate 26.3%). The rate of compliance with hand hygiene among them was 34.0%. Personal factors promoting hand hygiene were education and attitudes, while facility-related factor was the implementation of hand-washing evaluation.


CONCLUSIONS
Since the hand hygiene compliance rate is low among care staff at facilities for the elderly, it is necessary to take measures to improve hand hygiene. Educational programs for hand hygiene should be developed in view of the conditions of individual facilities.
Takahashi
Ikuko
I
Faculty of Health Sciences, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minamikogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi, 755-8505, Japan, t-ikuko@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
Osaki
Yoneatsu
Y
Okamoto
Mikizo
M
Tahara
Aya
A
Kishimoto
Takuji
T
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