Practice of hand hygiene and use of protective gloves: Differences in the perception between patients and medical staff

Abstract

This study investigated differences in perceptions of hand hygiene and protective glove use among patients and health care workers (HCWs) in Poland. We conducted a survey using an original questionnaire among 462 respondents, including 173 (37.4%) patients and 289 (62.6%) HCWs; HCWs demonstrated poor familiarity with the My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. The role of protective gloves in preventing health care-associated infection was overestimated by both patients and HCWs.

Keywords: Hand hygiene; Health care workers; Prevention of health care–associated infections; Protective gloves usage.