Hand hygiene compliance by nurses and midwives during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study in Southern Iran

Background: Despite frequent recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), hand hygiene compliance (HHC) is an ongoing challenge among health care workers (HCWs). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the HHC in Iranian nurses and midwives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This observational study was conducted on 200 nurses and midwives working in two hospitals in Jiroft, Iran in 2021. Data were collected using a demographic information checklist and the WHO Hand Hygiene Observation Form. Data analysis was performed using the MannWhitney U, Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation coefficient tests. Results: The average percentage of HHC in the nurses and midwives was 51.3%. HHC before touching the patient and before doing a clean/aseptic procedure was at the lowest rate (33.5% and 49%, respectively) but was at the highest rate (81.8%) after a body fluid exposure risk. Conclusions: The HHC rates were low among nurses and midwives during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to implement interventions to promote HHC in HCWs, especially in pandemic conditions.