JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hand hygiene is a critical strategy for preventing healthcare-associated infections and reducing healthcare costs. However, adherence remains low, particularly among auxiliary nurses (AN) and informal caregivers (IC) who often lack formal training. Immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) have shown promise for improving hand hygiene skills through active learning and real-time feedback

Objective:

to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality-based hand hygiene training program for informal caregivers and auxiliary nurses in Colombia

Methods:

This quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest study evaluated the effectiveness of a VR hand hygiene training program for AN and IC in Colombia. A total of 215 participants (94 AN, 121 IC) completed the intervention, which included up to three 15-minute VR training sessions with real-time feedback on hand hygiene technique. Data were collected at baseline (PRE) and immediately after the VR intervention (POST). Variables assessed included hand hygiene performance, timing adequacy, error rates, and knowledge assessment

Results:

Correct hand hygiene performance increased from 26.6% to 97.9% among AN (p < 0.001) and from 9.9% to 95.9% among IC (p < 0.001). Timing adequacy improved significantly in both groups, reaching 46.6 ± 6.7 and 48.0 ± 6.6 seconds, respectively (p < 0.001). Common errors, such as insufficient fingertip coverage and incomplete thumb cleaning, were reduced to 0% (p < 0.001). Knowledge scores also improved significantly in both groups, and VR training was rated as 'very useful' or 'extremely useful' for skill acquisition

Conclusions:

VR training significantly improved hand hygiene technique and knowledge. The high acceptance rates observed suggest that these technologies can effectively enhance infection prevention skills in undertrained populations, supporting broader adoption in healthcare education Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrial NCT07005544