Effectiveness of a Structured Teaching Programme on Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Practice among Caretakers in an Intensive Care Unit at Sharda Care-Healthcity: A Pre- Experimental Study

Background Hand hygiene is a simple, low-cost measure for reducing transmission of microorganisms in healthcare settings. Family caretakers in intensive care units frequently remain close to critically ill patients but may not receive formal instruction on appropriate hand-hygiene indications and technique. Methods A quantitative pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design was used among 100 adult family caretakers of patients admitted to the ICU at ShardaCare-Healthcity, Greater Noida. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using a demographic proforma, a 25-item structured knowledge questionnaire, and a 15-step observational practice checklist based on WHO hand-hygiene recommendations. A structured teaching programme consisting of lecture-discussion, demonstration and supervised return demonstration was administered after the pre-test. Post-test assessment was conducted approximately seven days later. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests and Chi-square tests were used, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results Mean knowledge scores increased from 9.32 ± 3.03 before the intervention to 16.21 ± 4.11 after the intervention, while mean practice scores increased from 5.56 ± 1.63 to 10.97 ± 2.17. The paired t-test demonstrated statistically significant improvements in knowledge (t = 46.03, p < 0.001) and practice (t = 56.68, p < 0.001). Post-test knowledge and practice were significantly associated with age, educational status, availability of a handwashing station at home, availability of hand sanitizer, and previous knowledge of hand hygiene. Conclusion The structured teaching programme was associated with substantial short-term improvements in hand-hygiene knowledge and observed practice among ICU caretakers. Incorporating brief, demonstration-based caretaker education into ICU admission and infection-prevention practices may strengthen patient safety. Trial registration: Not applicable for the study