Abstract

Background: Transmission of pathogens via health-care workers’ hands is one of the most frequent means of spreading multiresistant organisms and the occurrence of health-care–associated infections. Hand hygiene is the simplest, most effective method to prevent cross-infections. Hand hygiene perception plays an important role in determining hand hygiene compliance.
Objective: To assess physicians’ perceptions and the available resources for hand hygiene at King Fahad Hospital of University. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study was used on 209 physicians. Data were collected using a Word Health Organization Self-Report Questionnaire and a checklist for availability of hand hygiene resources. Result: More than half of the sample was male subjects (55.5%), with a mean age of (30 ± 6.5 years). About 44% showed positive perception, and 38% were neutral about the importance of hand hygiene. The frequent use of alcohol-based handrub was significantly associated with positive perception of importance of hand hygiene ( P = 0.031). Nonhuman resources of hand hygiene were available in all the departments, except for hand cream or lotion. Conclusion: Accordingly, we recommend raising the patients’ awareness about their right to remind health-care workers to clean their hands. Moreover, during training of health-care workers, the trainer should remind the health-care workers that the patient has the right to ask them to wash their hands.