Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the surgical handwashing practices of operating room nurses.

Materials and Methods: This study was performed between 18 and 28 June 2018 in the operating room of two state hospitals. The sample consisted of 41 nurses and 27 surgeons working in the operating room unit. All volunteer employees were not included in the sample

selection method. The participants were asked to fill out the form in which 22 questions were included and the data were evaluated as number and percentage using the SPSS 22.0 program.

Findings: 51.7% of the nurses; 34.5% of surgeons did not receive in-service training for surgical handwashing, 92.8% of nurses use an antimicrobial agent in 94.4% of physicians; average 2-5 minutes for nurses during wash periods; It was found that the surgeons took 4-6 minutes.

Conclusion: The applications of surgical handwashing are compatible with the literature; the agent used, and the duration.

INVESTIGATION OF SURGICAL HAND WASHING PRACTICES OF OPERATING ROOM NURSES AND SURGEONS