Higienização das mãos: conhecimento e adesão de profissionais da saúde em unidade de pronto-socorro ; Hand hygiene: knowledge and adhesion of health professionals in emergency room unit

Hand hygiene (HH) is not only an effective prime precaution in reducing adverse events but also a major challenge in different fields of care practice and scientific research. The present study aimed at assessing the knowledge and adoption of health professional regarding hand hygiene in emergency room unit. This research comprehends a prospective longitudinal study with quantitative approach. The study was developed at the emergency room of the University Hospital of Santa Maria (HUSM), with 69 health professionals (residentes, nurses, nursing technicians and physiotherapists) who maintained direct contact with a clinically stable patient. The data collection was made between March and July of 2015, using instruments validated by the World Health Organization (WHO), in two stages. On the first stage, the non-participant direct observation tehcnique was applied, with an Observation form being filled in by the researcher. During the observation the five moments recommended for HH were accompanied, taking into account the concepts of Opportunity, Indication and Action. Each professional was observed in three different moments, with an average interval of 15 days (SD=9) between sessions. The time interval between the first and the last observations consisted of an average 28 days difference (SD=9). On the second stage, the subjects answered the Test of knowledge regarding hand hygiene for health professionals questionnaire, composed of right and wrong questions. The data organization was made using the Epi-info® software, version 6.4, with double independent typing. After verifying the errors and inconsistancies, the data analysis was made using the PASW Statistics® (Predictive Analytics Software, by SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA) 18.0 software, by means of descriptive analytical statistics. 59 out of the 69 health professional were accompanied during three observation sessions. 53 out of the 59 answered the questionnaire. In 111 days of observation, 166 sessions were made, with an average 11 minutes duration each ...