Audit finds doctors not washing their hands properly during coronavirus pandemic Posted WedWednesday 16 updated WedWednesday 16 DecDecember 2020 at 8:58pm Only 79.5 per cent of doctors and 74.5 per cent of ambulance workers captured in the audit washed or sanitised their hands when required. ( Print text only Cancel If there is one group of people you would expect to be washing their hands properly during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is healthcare professionals. Key points: The figures also show more people are on antidepressants than before the pandemic Elective surgeries are down by almost 10 per cent this year compared to last year But new data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed doctors and ambulance workers failed to meet national standards for hand hygiene between April and June, as health authorities repeatedly stressed the importance of handwashing to stop the spread of coronavirus.