Hand hygiene practices among health workers during COVID-19. a comparative study of in and out patients departments at Livingstone Central Hospital Zambia

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dc.contributor.authorGondwe, Carolyne
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-21T11:36:22Z
dc.date.available2021-12-21T11:36:22Z
dc.date.issued2021-09-10
dc.description.abstractStudy type: A qualitative study will be conducted from August to September 2021 at Livingstone Central Hospital of Livingstone District of the Southern Province of Zambia to help understand hand hygiene practices among Health Care Workers (HCWs). Problem: A broad review of several studies globally, Zambia inclusive, carried out prior to the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) to identify major areas of research in hand hygiene practices, indicate that adherence to hand hygiene guidelines remain low among HCWs and that improvement efforts often lack sustainability. To this end, HCWs being front liners in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic are at a high risk of both contracting and subsequent spreading of the virus. As Zambia aim to control the pandemic, it is important to understand hand hygiene practices among HCWs as it is basic and cheap but crucial intervention in the fight against COVID- 19 pandemic. Currently, different parts of the world are experiencing the 3rd wave of COVID-19 and with some countries including, Zambia classifying it as highly infectious and deadly. Notwithstanding the current spike in the COVID-19 cases in Zambia, HCWs adherence to good hand hygiene practices is generally suboptimal. Despite efforts in putting up various hand hygiene stations in hospitals and clinics being made, HCWs rarely utilize them. Further, at the beginning of the pandemic, HCWs would force people visiting the hospitals and health facilities to wash their hands but relaxed with passage of time with enforcement of the said preventive measure, despite a number of HCWs being infected with COVID-19. Objectives of the Study: The main objective of this study is to assess compliance to hand hygiene practices among HCWs at Livingstone Central Hospital, Zambia in the era of COVID-19. The specific objectives are: 1. To assess adherence to hand hygiene practices among HCWs at Livingstone Central Hospital in order to better hand hygiene practices; 2. To investigate barriers and motivators to compliance in order to better hand hygiene practices among HCWs at Livingstone Central Hospital; and 3. To identify feasible options for enforcing and sustaining compliance in order to better hand hygiene practices among HCWs working at Livingstone Central Hospital. Methodology: A qualitative ethnographic research method will be used to understand hand hygiene practices among HCWs at Livingstone Central Hospital, located in Livingstone District, a District deemed as one of the hot spots of COVID-19 in Zambia. Further, in-depth interviews will be conducted among HCWs and the key personnel at the hospital. Additionally, observations will be done on hand hygiene practices using the WHO hand hygiene observation guidelines. Findings and Dissemination Plan: The study findings will help to identify barriers and motivator to compliance to hand hygiene practices among HCWs and strategies that can help HCWs comply to hand hygiene practices and prevent further transmission of COVID-19 and other HCAIs. Further, the study will help policy makers to provide necessary guidelines on hand hygiene practices, performance of hand hygiene audits, and constructing needed infrastructures to allow HCWs to effectively perform hand hygiene practices in health facilities in order to prevent further spread of COVID-19 and other HCAIs to the patients as well as communities. The Researcher will disseminate the findings through presentations at national, International level and publish in peer reviewed journals. All this will be done after obtaining ethical approvals from College of Medicine, Malawi and Mulungushi University, Zambiaen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://rscarchive.kuhes.ac.mw/handle/20.500.12988/705
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherKamuzu University of Health Sciencesen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesprotocol;P.06/21/3333
dc.titleHand hygiene practices among health workers during COVID-19. a comparative study of in and out patients departments at Livingstone Central Hospital Zambiaen_US
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