Assessment of Hand-Washing Knowledge and Practice among Nursing Undergraduates in Saudi Arabia

Table 2

Participants’ responses pertaining to knowledge of hand hygiene.

Statements	Yes		No		I don’t know
	n	%	n	%	n	%
Direct or indirect contact are the most important routes for the transmission of healthcare-associated infection	286	94.2	09	2.9	9	2.9
Proper and consistent hand-washing prevents infections in health facilities	283	93.2	15	4.9	6	1.9
There is no need for hand-washing for those who perform their activity with caution	262	86.2	42	13.8	—	—
There is no need for hand-washing if gloves are properly worn	266	87.5	37	12.2	—	—
Health professionals should always wash their hands immediately when they arrive at health institutions	282	92.8	20	6.6	2	0.7
Hand washing should be practiced routinely even when gloves are worn	284	93.4	18	5.9	02	0.7
Effective hand-washing consists of wetting, soaping, applying friction, rinsing, and drying adequately	280	92.1	23	7.6	01	0.3
Hands should be washed at least for 10–15 seconds	225	74	78	25.7	01	0.3
Using disinfectants during hand-washing decreases bacterial load on hands	273	89.8	30	9.9	01	0.3
Health professionals should wash their hands or use antiseptic hand rub before putting on or after the removal of gloves	283	93.1	20	6.6	—	—
Alcohol has a superior ability to eradicate microorganisms compared to water	237	78.0	66	21.7	—	—
Hand-washing is the single most effective mechanism to prevent the spread of infection	273	89.8	29	9.5	02	0.7

Missing response; n = frequency; % = percentile.