Abstract

ARMAS FREIRE, Paulina Isabel; CAJAS MORAN, Marco Antonio  and  RUEDA GARCIA, Dunia Ekatierina. Comparison of pre and post handwashing microbiological assessment in health students in Ecuador. Revista InveCom [online]. 2024, vol.4, n.2, e040270.  Epub Aug 23, 2024. ISSN 2739-0063.  https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10783377.

Proper hand hygiene is essential to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the handwashing technique in nursing students by microbiological hand culture before and after handwashing. The design was descriptive-cross-sectional with a population of 66 students of the microbiology course of the nursing career of a public university in the academic period 2022-2023. Data were obtained from a self-directed questionnaire consisting of 10 questions that was validated with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83, to determine knowledge of the handwashing technique and its relationship with the number of bacterial colonies before and after handwashing. Participants were 77% n=51, with average ages of 21 years, a significant decrease in the number of colony-forming units was observed after handwashing by 62% less with respect for the number of colonies forming units. Regarding how many times they wash their hands per day, 75% n= 50 answered that more than three times a day, regarding the requirements for hygienic hand washing, 85% n=56 of participants report washing their hands and using soap in this procedure in the family environment, unlike when they evaluate a patient, this increases to 97% n=64. The questionnaire evidenced an adequate theoretical knowledge of the washing technique, contrasting these data at the time of taking the culture of their hands. The findings of this study highlight the importance of ongoing hand hygiene training for students in health careers and the need to implement improvement strategies.

Keywords : microbiological culture; hand hygiene; health care.

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