Two-thirds of US medical students 'don't know when to wash their hands'
Hand washing is the best way of preventing the spread of diseases. However, two-thirds of U.S medical students are confused as to when they should perform the action, researchers say.
It suggests that while universities focus on complex training the basic hygiene lessons are being neglected.
Hand washing: Most students couldn't identify the correct situations when they should use basic hand hygiene
A team from Hannover Medical School in Germany surveyed 85 medical students who were about to enter their bedside clinical training.
They were asked to identify which of seven scenarios would require basic hand hygiene.
Only 1 in 3 of the students correctly identified the five situations, which were: before contact with a patient, before preparation of intravenous fluids, after removing gloves, after contacting patient's bed and after contact with vomit.
Just 21 per cent also identified the two situations when hand washing wasn't needed.
The medical students also overestimated how clean their hands were. They expected their own compliance would be 'good' and higher than nurses, when published data shows the opposite.
The three researchers said this proved doctors-in-training needed further practical lessons on when to use either hand sanitisers or a basin.
'There is no doubt that we need to improve the overall attitude toward the use of alcohol-based hand rub in hospitals,' the study's authors said.
They added that students had said they expected hand hygiene levels to be worse among experienced doctors – who are often considered as role models by young medics.
The study appeared in the American Journal of Infection Control.