Assessing Compliance with Hand Hygiene Practices in Healthcare Settings in Benin: a Cross-Sectional Study

Hand hygiene is a cornerstone of preventing healthcare-associated infections, particularly in maternity and neonatology. This study evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Benin healthcare professionals regarding hygiene deficiencies that contribute to maternal and neonatal infections via a data collection survey.

Hand hygiene knowledge was evaluated among healthcare professionals from six healthcare centers between August and September, 2023, using the WHO Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework (HHSAF). Hand hygiene compliance was assessed by observing 30 trained IPC professionals across the hospitals during the five WHO moments.

A total of 159 health care professionals were included in the study. Most healthcare workers demonstrated good awareness of the appropriate moments for hand hygiene, with a minimum knowledge rate of 65%. Hand hygiene compliance rates exceeded 50% across the surveyed facilities. Compliance rates varied notably by profession, with doctors showing the highest adherence, particularly in hand hygiene before patient contact (100%), followed by nurses (92.30%). Male professionals generally adhered to hand hygiene practices more than their female counterparts, with the highest male compliance at CHUD B/A (100%) and the lowest at HZ-Tanguieta (35%). However, no statistically significant differences in hand hygiene or glove-wearing compliance were observed across gender, department, or professional qualification (p > 0.05).

These findings provide valuable insights into current hygiene practices among healthcare professionals, highlighting areas requiring improvement to effectively reduce maternal and neonatal infections. The results will inform targeted training programs to enhance compliance and ultimately improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns.