Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of hand hygiene among hospital personnel and clinical students at Dr. Sumait Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia: a short report

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 seconds 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.