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Lakoh S, Firima E, Williams CEE, et al. An Intra-COVID-19 Assessment of Hand Hygiene Facility, Policy and Staff Compliance in Two Hospitals in Sierra Leone: Is There a Difference between Regional and Capital City Hospitals?. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2021;6(4)doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040204.
Lakoh, S., Firima, E., Williams, C. E. E., Conteh, S. K., Jalloh, M. B., Sheku, M. G., Adekanmbi, O., Sevalie, S., Kamara, S. A., Kamara, M. A. S., Barrie, U., Kamara, G. N., Yi, L., Guo, X., Haffner, C., Kamara, M. N., Jiba, D. F., Namanaga, E. S., Maruta, A., Kallon, C., Kanu, J. S., Deen, G. F., Samai, M., Okeibunor, J. C., & Russell, J. B. W. (2021). An Intra-COVID-19 Assessment of Hand Hygiene Facility, Policy and Staff Compliance in Two Hospitals in Sierra Leone: Is There a Difference between Regional and Capital City Hospitals?. Tropical medicine and infectious disease, 6(4), . https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040204
Lakoh, Sulaiman, et al. "An Intra-COVID-19 Assessment of Hand Hygiene Facility, Policy and Staff Compliance in Two Hospitals in Sierra Leone: Is There a Difference between Regional and Capital City Hospitals?." Tropical medicine and infectious disease vol. 6,4 (2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040204
Lakoh S, Firima E, Williams CEE, Conteh SK, Jalloh MB, Sheku MG, Adekanmbi O, Sevalie S, Kamara SA, Kamara MAS, Barrie U, Kamara GN, Yi L, Guo X, Haffner C, Kamara MN, Jiba DF, Namanaga ES, Maruta A, Kallon C, Kanu JS, Deen GF, Samai M, Okeibunor JC, Russell JBW. An Intra-COVID-19 Assessment of Hand Hygiene Facility, Policy and Staff Compliance in Two Hospitals in Sierra Leone: Is There a Difference between Regional and Capital City Hospitals?. Trop Med Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 29;6(4). doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040204. PMID: 34941660.
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Trop Med Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 29;6(4). doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040204.

An Intra-COVID-19 Assessment of Hand Hygiene Facility, Policy and Staff Compliance in Two Hospitals in Sierra Leone: Is There a Difference between Regional and Capital City Hospitals?.

Tropical medicine and infectious disease

Sulaiman Lakoh, Emmanuel Firima, Christine Ellen Elleanor Williams, Sarah K Conteh, Mohamed Boie Jalloh, Mohamed Gbeshay Sheku, Olukemi Adekanmbi, Stephen Sevalie, Sylvia Adama Kamara, Mohamed Akmed Salim Kamara, Umu Barrie, Gladys Nanilla Kamara, Le Yi, Xuejun Guo, Chukwuemeka Haffner, Matilda N Kamara, Darlinda F Jiba, Enanga Sonia Namanaga, Anna Maruta, Christiana Kallon, Joseph Sam Kanu, Gibrilla F Deen, Mohamed Samai, Joseph Chukwudi Okeibunor, James B W Russell

Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  2. Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Government of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  3. Clinical Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland.
  4. University of Basel, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland.
  5. SolidarMed, Christie House 3rd Floor, Orpen Road, Old Europa, P.O. Box 0254, Maseru West 105, Lesotho.
  6. 34 Military Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  7. Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan 200005, Nigeria.
  8. Department of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan 200005, Nigeria.
  9. Infectious Disease Research Network, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  10. Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China.
  11. World Health Organization Country Office, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
  12. World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo.

PMID: 34941660 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040204

Abstract

Although hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective intervention to reduce the spread of infections, there are limited data on HH facilities, policy, and compliance in sub-Saharan Africa. This cross-sectional study is aimed at assessing HH using the WHO HH self-assessment framework, HH technical reference manual, and a modified infection control self-assessment tool in two hospitals in Sierra Leone. Only 10% and 9% of regional and capital city hospitals had running tap water, respectively. Veronica buckets were the resources for HH in 89% of units in the regional hospital and 92% of units in capital city hospital. Constant supply of soap and alcohol-based hand rub was available in 82% and 68%; and 74% and 79% of units in the capital city and regional hospitals, respectively. Only 10% of the units in both hospitals had hand-drying facilities and functional sinks. Overall HH compliance for the two hospitals was 18.6% and was higher in the regional (20.8%) than the capital city (17.0%) hospitals. The HH levels for the capital city and regional hospitals were 277.5 and 262.5 respectively. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still challenges with HH compliance in Sierra Leone. It is, therefore, necessary to strengthen the HH multi-modal strategy.

Keywords: Sierra Leone; alcohol-based hand rub; compliance; hand hygiene; hand washing

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