Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of hand hygiene among hospital personnel and clinical students at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia: a short report
- 1Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr. Sumait Hospital, SIMAD University, Mogadishu, Somalia; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, SIMAD University, Mogadishu, Somalia; Corresponding author. Address: Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr. Sumait Hospital, SIMAD University, Mogadishu, Somalia. Tel.: +252618560888.
- 2Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, SIMAD University, Mogadishu, Somalia
- 3Department of Operation Theatre, Dr. Sumait Hospital, SIMAD University, Mogadishu, Somalia
Abstract
Introduction: Hand hygiene is a basic but essential infection prevention practice. Evidence from Somali hospitals remains limited, particularly at facility level. Methods: This institution-based cross-sectional short report was conducted in May 2026 among 115 hospital personnel and students undertaking clinical duties at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire and analysed using frequencies and percentages. Results: Awareness was very high: 99.1% had heard about hand hygiene, and all participants reported being familiar with the Five Moments of Hand Hygiene, recognizing its role in infection prevention, and considering alcohol-based hand rub effective. However, only 0.9% selected 40–60 s as the recommended handwashing duration, although the wording of this item may have caused uncertainty about whether it referred to handwashing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubbing. Participants expressed positive views about the importance and protective benefits of hand hygiene. However, all participants also agreed or strongly agreed that performing hand hygiene is time-consuming, indicating a perceived workflow-related barrier. Self-reported practice was also high, with 94.8–99.1% reporting that they always performed hand hygiene across the assessed moments. Soap and water was the predominant hand hygiene method reported by 93.0% of participants. Conclusion: Participants reported high awareness of hand hygiene and positive beliefs about its infection-prevention benefits. However, uncertainty concerning technique-specific duration and the perception that hand hygiene is time-consuming indicate areas requiring further attention. Because practices were self-reported and resource availability was not assessed, the findings should be interpreted cautiously. Further studies incorporating direct observation and assessment of facility-level resources are warranted.
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BibTeX
@article{elmi2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of hand hygiene among hospital personnel and clinical students at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia: a short report}},
author = {Abdullahi Hassan Elmi and Mohamed Mustaf Ahmed and Abdisalam Abdullahi Mohamed},
journal = {Infection Prevention in Practice},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.infpip.2026.100605},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infpip.2026.100605},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of hand hygiene among hospital personnel and clinical students at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia: a short report
AU - Abdullahi Hassan Elmi
AU - Mohamed Mustaf Ahmed
AU - Abdisalam Abdullahi Mohamed
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Infection Prevention in Practice
DO - 10.1016/j.infpip.2026.100605
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infpip.2026.100605
AB - Introduction: Hand hygiene is a basic but essential infection prevention practice. Evidence from Somali hospitals remains limited, particularly at facility level. Methods: This institution-based cross-sectional short report was conducted in May 2026 among 115 hospital personnel and students undertaking clinical duties at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire and analysed using frequencies and percentages. Results: Awareness was very high: 99.1% had heard about hand hygiene, and all participants reported being familiar with the Five Moments of Hand Hygiene, recognizing its role in infection prevention, and considering alcohol-based hand rub effective. However, only 0.9% selected 40–60 s as the recommended handwashing duration, although the wording of this item may have caused uncertainty about whether it referred to handwashing with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubbing. Participants expressed positive views about the importance and protective benefits of hand hygiene. However, all participants also agreed or strongly agreed that performing hand hygiene is time-consuming, indicating a perceived workflow-related barrier. Self-reported practice was also high, with 94.8–99.1% reporting that they always performed hand hygiene across the assessed moments. Soap and water was the predominant hand hygiene method reported by 93.0% of participants. Conclusion: Participants reported high awareness of hand hygiene and positive beliefs about its infection-prevention benefits. However, uncertainty concerning technique-specific duration and the perception that hand hygiene is time-consuming indicate areas requiring further attention. Because practices were self-reported and resource availability was not assessed, the findings should be interpreted cautiously. Further studies incorporating direct observation and assessment of facility-level resources are warranted.
SN - 2590-0889
ER -