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The Need of Handwash Station Resources in Health Education Institutions to Promote Standardized WHO Handwashing
Hamsu Kadriyan1, Yasmin Sabrina Zulkifli2, Eka Arie Yuliyani1
1Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Mataram, Mataram, Indonesia.
Background:
Hand hygiene is the fundamental basis for infection prevention and control, particularly in health education settings where students are trained as future healthcare professionals. Despite adequate knowledge, suboptimal handwash station infrastructure has a potency to hinder adherence to WHO hand hygiene standards.
Methods:
A cross-sectional single center study was conducted among 273 preclinical medical students. Validated questionnaires assessed hand hygiene awareness, compliance, and handwash station usage, supported by structured facility observations. Spearman's rank correlation test was applied for bivariate analysis.
Results:
Most respondents demonstrated high awareness of hand hygiene (96.7%) and high compliance (85.0%). No significant association was observed between awareness and handwash station usage (p = 0.410). However, handwash station usage was significantly associated with hand hygiene compliance (p < 0.001). Observations showed that the primary handwashing infrastructure is sufficient, but ancillary facilities remain suboptimal.
Conclusion:
High awareness alone is insufficient to ensure compliance with WHO-standardized hand hygiene practices. Adequate, standardized, and accessible handwash station resources play a critical role in translating knowledge into consistent hygienic behavior.
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