HAND-WASHING KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE AMONGST HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN IJEBU ODE, NIGERIA

The healthcare-related infection has been a foremost national and international public health concern with millions of people affected globally and thus constituting a grave matter for patient health, and as much as 5 to 10% of hospitals admissions in industrialized nations of the world (Pittet et al., 2008), with the risk similarly as high as 19%, in developing nations and therefore presenting a very serious challenge to health care workers (Angel, 2015). As a result, this study evaluates healthcare practitioners' knowledge and practice of handwashing in private health care facilities in Ijebu Ode, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive design was utilized, and the collection of data was through a structured questionnaire from 98 consenting participants selected through purposive sampling and was descriptively analyzed utilizing Microsoft Excel and a statistical tool for social sciences. According to the results, a good number of health practitioners in private facilities in Ijebu Ode have high knowledge and hand-washing practice with 96.9% and 837% respectively. Hence, the work concluded that health care practitioners in private hospital facilities in Ijebu Ode have adequate knowledge of hand hygiene and practice. The study, however, suggested that hospital authorities should ensure adequate motivation and amenities for hand-washing activities are made available to ensure its sustainability.