Impact of Hand Washing Instructions on Hand Hygiene Practices at the University of Central Oklahoma

Abstract

Washing hands with soap and water has long been considered an effective way to reduce the spread of infectious disease, yet hand washing compliance has historically been low, even in health care institutions. Studies conducted in health care institutions have shown that compliance can be improved with intervention, principally through the potential for punishment. In a public setting, the threat of punishment is not a viable option; therefore other methods are employed to promote hand washing compliance. Over a period of two months hand washing practices were observed in various restrooms on the UCO campus before and after hand washing instructions were placed in the restrooms. The percentage of subjects who washed their hands for at least 30 seconds, which is the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation, improved from 23% to 27% after hand washing instructions were placed in designated restrooms. This improvement was not statistically significant and indicates that placing signs in restrooms is not sufficient to improve hand washing practices on the UCO campus.