Investigation on hand hygiene in anaesthesiology departments in China

To investigate the current status of hand hygiene practices and knowledge among anaesthesiology personnel in China, providing a reference for improving hand hygiene standards among healthcare workers.

A cross-sectional nationwide online survey was conducted from 1^st November to 31^st December 2024, targeting anaesthesiology staff in Chinese hospitals. Developed by a multi-disciplinary team, the questionnaire covered sociodemographics, hand hygiene practices, proficiency and knowledge. Of 2580 responses, 2512 were valid after quality control. Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were used to analyse the data and identify predictors of hand hygiene compliance.

The study analysed 2512 valid responses, mostly from male anaesthesiologists (90.84% and 59.39% for males and females, respectively). Most participants were from Class IIIA hospitals (60.67%). A large majority of participants had formal hand hygiene training (94.43%) and regular access to hand sanitizers (90.61%), with over two-thirds reporting adequate disinfection and washing durations (66.44% and 67.27%, respectively) and high adherence to the seven-step technique (81.76%). Barriers to adherence included being 'too busy' (66.28%), insufficient hand towel availability (41.68%), the belief that 'gloves substitute for handwashing' (39.93%), and inadequate facilities (18.91%). The hand hygiene assessment showed a mean knowledge score of 61.02, a mean practice score of 80.36, and a mean proficiency score of 82.62. Higher knowledge and formal training were linked to better compliance with recommended practices.

This study highlights the need for improved hand hygiene practices among anaesthesiology personnel in China, emphasizing the roles of training, knowledge, and addressing barriers to compliance.