The Impact of multimodal interventions on the appropriate use of hand sanitizer among Nurses in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Appropriate use of hand sanitizer among nurses is essential in reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections. 
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of multimodal interventions on the appropriate use of hand sanitizer among nurses in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

Method: It was a prospective observational study conducted over 10 weeks among nurses of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto. A total of 65 nurses on duty were selected to receive multimodal interventions (i.e., practical demonstration of the appropriate use of hand sanitizers and distribution of the WHO's chart on the appropriate use of hand sanitizer for self-learning) to improve the practice of hand hygiene using hand sanitizer. Participants subsequently demonstrated the use after observation, and they were scored using a checklist adapted from the WHO chart. Post-intervention assessments were conducted after four weeks where participants again demonstrated the use of hand sanitizer. A paired sample t-test was used to determine the mean differences between the pre- and post-intervention scores. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0 and the p-value was set at p < 0.05.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.3±9.5years. Most (42.4%) participants had Basic Nursing and57.6% had a previous seminar on infectious disease control (IDC). The participants' pre-intervention score was 54.8% but increased significantly by 33.5% after intervention ( <0.001). The seventh step of hand hygiene was the most improved practice, increasing from a baseline of 13.6% to 75.8% post-intervention. The demographic or professional characteristics of the participants did not affect the practice of the use of hand sanitizer.

Conclusions: Practical demonstration of appropriate use and enhancement of self-directed learning solely resulted in significant improvement in the appropriateness of the use of hand sanitizer among nurses in this study as evidenced by improved scores and increased completion of critical steps.