Educational Effect of Handwashing for Pharmacy Students in Pre-clinical Pharmacy Practice

Correct handwashing is essential for infection control, so pharmaceutical students must acquire appropriate handwashing skills before entering clinical practice. We introduced a handwash education system to our training for two hundred students in the later period of the third grade, and evaluated the outcomes. First of all, students applied fluorescent lotion to both hands, and performed social handwashing with soap and running water. The remaining fluorescent areas were then sketched to assess the effectiveness of handwashing. The students then received a lecture which referred to the importance of hand hygiene, the type and the purpose of handwashing, and the procedure of hygienic handwashing. Next, students tried hygienic handwashing with soap and running water, and the fluorescent areas were sketched again. Fluorescent areas were totaled as a number of students, and the result of handwashing were compared before and after the lecture. Moreover, we distributed a questionnaire on the understanding of handwashing to the students. The time required for training was very short, but the students gained good understanding of hygienic handwashing, and became conscious of good habits and difficult areas to wash. We would like to raise awareness of hand hygiene and to encourage good habits of handwashing through enriched and repeated practice in the upcoming six-year program of pharmaceutical education.