en Nursing Orginal research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height:2;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color:#2980b9;"><b>Background:</b></span> Hand hygiene is the most effective method for preventing infections, and nurses&rsquo; adherence to hygiene practices plays a vital role in patient safety.<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></span><br> <span style="color:#2980b9;"><b>Objectives:</b></span> This study aimed to assess hand hygiene adherence and its related factors among nurses in hospitals in Babylon City, Iraq, in 2025.<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></span><br> <span style="color:#2980b9;"><b>Methods:</b></span> A cross-sectional study was conducted with 150 nurses working in teaching hospitals in Babylon. Convenience sampling was used, and data were collected using a demographic form, a self-report questionnaire based on the WHO&rsquo;s &ldquo;My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene,&rdquo; and a perceived factors questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.23 through independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and logistic regression tests, with significance set at p < 0.05.<br> <span style="color:#2980b9;"><b>Results:</b></span> The mean age of nurses was 27.91 (SD=4.4) years, and most were female (82.7%). Over half had attended infection control (53.3%) and hand hygiene training (59.3%) courses. About 51.3% had a moderate level of knowledge about infection control. Adherence to hand hygiene varied by situation, being highest after exposure to body fluids (90.7%) and after patient contact (86.7%), and lowest before patient contact (66.7%).<span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></span><br> <span style="color:#2980b9;"><b>Conclusion:</b></span> Hand hygiene adherence was lower in preventive moments, with physical and organizational barriers identified as key challenges. Comprehensive interventions&mdash;reducing workload, ensuring access to skin-compatible antiseptics, and providing targeted education&mdash;are essential to enhance preventive behavior, improve compliance, and promote patient safety.</span></span></span></div> Hand Hygiene, Compliance, Nurses, Predictive Factors, Gender Differences, Workload, Iraq. 3 13 http://nmcjournal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1060-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Kazem Abdulabbas Abdulhasan alhachamikadhim@gmail.com 100319475328460013439 100319475328460013439 No Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Nuhad Mohammed Al-Doori nur.nuhad.mohammad@uobabylon.edu.iq 100319475328460013440 100319475328460013440 No University of Babylon Sina Valiee sinavaliee@yahoo.com 100319475328460013441 100319475328460013441 Yes Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences