• Daniel Silva, Otília Andrade, and Ernestina Silva.
• Escola Superior de Saúde de Viseu, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal. Electronic address: dsilva.essv@gmail.com.
• Aten Primaria. 2014 Nov 1; 46 Suppl 5: 135-9.

ObjectiveTo identify the practices reported by health professionals on hand hygiene; To determine how the practices of hand hygiene are related to socio-demographic and professional variables and variables in the context of practice.Material And MethodsA descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional study conducted in a hospital in central Portugal, in May and June, 2012. 71 health professionals participated, with 23.9% physicians, 64.8% nurses and 11.3% operating assistants, in paediatrics, neonatology and paediatric emergencies. The majority was female (91.5%) and 32.4% are between the ages of 31 and 40 years. A questionnaire developed from DGS (General Health Directorate) recommendations was applied with questions on socio-demographic and professional characteristics as well as on the context of practice.ResultsThe professionals are motivated to perform hand hygiene (98.6%). In self-assessment, they practice hand hygiene appropriately, however the results revealed that 43.7% of subjects reported little knowledge concerning the interference of ornaments on the practice of hand hygiene, 38% of the sample reported the steps of the hand washing technique improperly, and approximately 43% of the sample does not practice hygiene at the correct times. The majority of the participants who use a proper technique are nurses, with significant differences with regards to doctors and operating assistants (P=.001).ConclusionsMost have knowledge about the practice of hand hygiene; however, some professional groups need to improve their practice of proper technique and the correct time to do so. Approximately a third did not attend specific training, leading us to reflect on the need to invest in training.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

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