Alcohol-containing Hand Rubs: A Survey on Beliefs and Self-reported Practices of Muslim Nurses

Abstract

Although alcohol-containing liquid cleansers have been increasingly used by healthcare workers, their application is still suboptimal. This study was carried out to assess the beliefs and practices of Muslim nurses with respect to alcohol-based hand rub solutions (ABHRs). A total of 374 hospital nurses from a large tertiary referral medical centre in Southern Iran were recruited. Beliefs and self-reported practices toward ABHRs were measured using a structured questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were shown to be satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha value: 0.77 for beliefs and 0.86 for practices.) Overall, 16% of Muslim nurses believed that the use of ABHRs is religiously prohibited; approximately the same proportion of respondents believed that there may be concerns related to the fact that the alcoholic content of these hand rubs might be absorbed through the skin or respiratory tract. Overall, more than half of participants reported use of ABHRs before (60%) and after (75%) touching patients. Religious believers were less likely to report performing hand hygiene with ABHRs before patient contact. However, the total mean practice scores were not statistically different between religious believers and non-believers (t (372)=-0.88, P=0.413). Mean practice scores of nurses who had participated in hand hygiene training courses during the year before the study were higher than those who had not (t (372)=3.41, P< 0.001). The results of the present study showed that the practice of hand hygiene with alcohol-containing hand rubs is common among Iranian Muslim nurses and is not influenced by their religious beliefs toward alcohol.

Knowledge, Compliance and Attitude of Nursing Students towards Standard Precautions: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Hospital

“…Thus, this positive attitude towards the standard precautions may reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms to the patients. Our study corroborates a study conducted by Shiraly et al (6) in 2021. This study also evaluated the students nurse's attitude towards standard precaution.…”

“…However, previous studies have revealed that the level of knowledge on standard precautions among nursing students appeared to be inadequate (5). Other studies have also shown that nursing students' failure to follow infection control precautions has an impact on not only patients but also other nursing students (6). The previous study by Hambridge et al, (7) in 2021 discovered that accidental wounds from needle stick injuries are common among nursing students and cause a greater psychological impact on an individual.…”