Hand hygiene compliance and accuracy in a university dental teaching hospital

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate compliance with guidelines on hand hygiene by examining five handwashing categories in postgraduate year (PGY) dentists at a university teaching hospital and to evaluate the accuracy rates of handwashing. METHODS: Through direct observation, trained PGY dentists were monitored throughout their daily care routine of before contact with patients, before using an instrument, after contact with patients, upon direct exposure to patients’ fluids, and while touching the patients’ surrounding area. Hand hygiene opportunities were considered complete in each category. A total of 16,597 hand hygiene opportunities across 37 individuals were observed from July to October 2012 and from September to October 2013. RESULTS: The overall handwashing compliance rate was 34.7%. The handwashing compliance rate was higher during work in oral surgery services (92.8%) than during work in general clinical practice (34.2%). The accuracy rate of handwashing was also higher during work in oral surgery services (87.5%) than during work in general clinical practice (51.0%). Similar results were obtained across all five handwashing categories. CONCLUSIONS: Handwashing compliance and accuracy rates are low in PGY dentists. More education and continuous monitoring are suggested to improve handwashing compliance, as well as the correct handwashing procedures for dentists.