RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Hand washing with soap and water is the single most weapon against infectious agents. Proper hand washing is not only reduces nosocomial infection, but also prevents the spread of current global concern Novel Corona viruses (COVID-19) and other viral illnesses like cold and flu. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess hand washing practice among health care workers in Ethiopia. METHODS: In the current meta-analysis, the target variables search from different databases, like Google Scholar, African Journals OnLine, PubMed, and Scopus. All necessary data extracted by using a standardized data extraction format. Heterogeneity across the studies was evaluated using the I2 index and Cochran's Q test. A random effect model computes to estimate the pooled proportion of hand washing practice among health care workers. RESULTS: In this meta-analysis, we included fifteen observational studies summarize the proportional of hand washing practice among health care workers. In the current study, the pooled hand washing practices among Ethiopian was 57.87% (95% CI: 44.14-71.61). Subgroup analysis conduct to identifying the sources of heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: The overall pooled proportion of hand washing practice among health care workers was low. Hand washing with water and soap is recommended at least for 20 s to prevent contagious disease like Corona viruses.