• Noe Nassolo, Abel Wilson Walekhwa, Frank Gramsen Kizza, and Jimmy Osuret.
• Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University. P.O. BOX 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
• Afr Health Sci. 2023 Dec 1; 23 (4): 155167155-167.

IntroductionHand hygiene in health care facilities (HCFs) remains a significant public health challenge. Global baseline estimates on water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in HCFs indicate that 26% of HCFs lack access to an improved water source on the premises. In this study, we sought to assess the proportion of handwashing coverage and the associated factors among healthcare workers in public and private healthcare facilities in Ndejje division, Makindye Ssabagabo municipality, Wakiso district.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study with both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was conducted. A total of 350 healthcare workers were interviewed using a self-administered structured open-ended paper questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) guide. Data was analysed using STATA 14.2 and ATLAS. ti version 8 software.ResultsThe majority of 350 (92.6%) of healthcare workers were from private health facilities. We found out that the proportion of handwashing facilities coverage was 97.7%. The proportion of handwashing was good coupled with a positive attitude towards handwashing. Being a nurse was highly associated with washing hands in both private and public health facilities.ConclusionHigh hand washing proportion was attributed to the COVID-19 guidelines and enforcement which sparked adherence to the standard operating procedures.© 2023 Nassolo N et al.

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