Abstract

Aim Hygienic hand washing to eliminate biological, physical and chemical substances is an easy and economical practice that may decrease the incidence of infections. The aim of the study is to evaluate the knowledge of the nurses on hygienic handwashing that playsa pivotal role in preventing contamination of infections. Method: The present descriptive study was performed from January 1st to 31st of 2004 in Ondokuz Mayıs University Hospital including overall 220 nurses. Of those, 196 nurses (89.1%) completed the survey. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by chi-square test. Results: Of overall nurses 5.1% did not know that hygienic handwashing is the most effective method in preventing nosocomial infections, whereas 58.2% of nurses were unaware of the knowledge that the efficient duration for handwashing is 15-30 seconds. One hundred ninety eight nurses (99.5%) stated the necessity of drying hands after washing and 164 nurses (83.7%) usage of paper tovuels for drying. There was no statical significant difference in vuorking duration among the washing their hands in some circumstances carrying risk of contamination. Conclusion: In conclusion, our data indicate that the nurses have lack of knowledge in hygienic handwashing. We think that education of the nurses may decrease the nosocomial infections.