Adherencia a la higiene de manos por el personal de enfermería

Background: hand hygiene is a primary and most important measure to avoid infections associated with health care and other related diseases. This technique is closely related to the nursing staff and if applied correctly, hospitalization days would be avoided and the patient, family and health system would be spared. Objective: to describe the adherence to hand hygiene by nurses. Methods: a cross-sectional study was carried out with a quantitative approach to the nursing staff of the Santo Domingo General Hospital in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas during the months of June and July of the year 2018. The sample under study was 65 staff members of Nursing of which 34 were licensed and 31 auxiliary. Results: within the types of hand hygiene in which the nursing staff had to perform before and after some procedures, those that contain alcoholic bases stood out, when fulfilling all the steps of the technique. After contact with the patient, it was the moment where most was performed. The factor that disadvantages hand hygiene is the lack of towels, graduates were the ones who most adhered to the technique. Conclusions: apart from the fact that there is a systematic breach of the steps of the hand hygiene technique, there is evidence of adequate adherence on the part of the nursing staff, which means that health care is favored with quality and warmth. Which is required in order to guarantee the safety of patients. DeCS: NURSING STAFF, HOSPITAL; HAND DISINFECTION; NURSING CARE; CROSS INFECTION; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES.