EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF HAND WASHING TECHNIQUES AMONG STAFF NURSES WORKING IN PEDIATRIC UNITS OF SELECTED TERTIARY HOSPITAL, PUNJAB.

Hand hygiene is the act of cleaning the hands with or without the use of water with another liquid or soap, for the purpose of removing soil, dirt and micro-organisms which plays a central role among staff nurses in preventing the transmission of various nosocominal infections. The effect of knowledge on the attitude and practice of hand washing techniques among staff nurses working in pediatric units of selected tertiary hospital was studied. Structured questionnaire, Likert scale and Observation checklist were used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of staff nurses regarding handwashing. The findings of the study concluded that 53.3% staff nurses had average knowledge, 72.2% had favorable attitude towards handwashing and 98.9% had unsatisfactory handwashing practice. There was a positive correlation (r=0.248) between the knowledge and attitude (p=0.019). Although staff nurses (45.5%) had good knowledge but their handwashing practice was unsatisfactory (98.9 %) (p> 0.05).