Hand hygiene knowledge, attitude, practice and hand microflora analysis of staff nurses in a rural tertiary care hospital

INTRODUCTION: Hand hygiene play crucial role in infectious control. The present research is on accessing Knowledge, attitude, and practice of nursing staff regarding hand washing. Human hands are covered with several commensal and pathogenic microorganism. Pathogenic bacterial species especially Staphylococcus species are the most common to participate in nosocomial infections. METHODS: Total 300 hand swab samples were taken from 150 nursing staffs followed by filling the questionnaire form. Standard culture media (Blood agar and MacConkey agar) were used to isolate the microorganisms. Microbial identification was done by using standard biochemical tests. RESULTS: Our study concluded that over all staff members had moderate knowledge and attitude regarding hand washing. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus isolates were the most dominant bacteria. Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus was relatively less. CONCLUSIONS: Creating awareness and education regarding hand hygiene would definitely increase the attitude and practice of health care workers to minimizing the nosocomial infection.