Qualitative study on perceptions of hand hygiene among hospital staff in a rural teaching hospital in India

Summary Background Hand hygiene is a simple but underutilized measure to control healthcare-associated infections. Aim To explore staff perceptions of hand hygiene using focus group discussions (FGDs) in a teaching hospital in India. Methods Qualitative study. The FGD guide included questions on tra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of hospital infection 2012-04, Vol.80 (4), p.340-344
Main Authors: Joshi, S.C, Diwan, V, Tamhankar, A.J, Joshi, R, Shah, H, Sharma, M, Pathak, A, Macaden, R, Stålsby Lundborg, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Attitude of Health Personnel
Biological and medical sciences
Cross Infection - prevention & control
Epidemiology. Vaccinations
Female
Focus Groups
General aspects
Hand Disinfection - methods
Hand hygiene
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Healthcare-associated infections
Hospital staff in India
Hospitals, Teaching
Humans
India
Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Middle Aged
Perceptions
Qualitative study
Rural Population
Young Adult
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Summary:Summary Background Hand hygiene is a simple but underutilized measure to control healthcare-associated infections. Aim To explore staff perceptions of hand hygiene using focus group discussions (FGDs) in a teaching hospital in India. Methods Qualitative study. The FGD guide included questions on transmission of infections, hand hygiene practices and problems with implementation, and ways to improve adherence to hand hygiene recommendations. The FGDs were recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English (when conducted in Hindi) and analysed using content analysis. Findings Two themes emerged: ‘inter-relationship of knowledge, beliefs, motivation, practices and needs’ and ‘roles and responsibilities for sustainable and efficient implementation of context-relevant approaches and interventions’. Staff were generally aware of the importance of hand hygiene for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, but perceived practical problems with implementation. Conclusions The staff suggested various interventions and appeared to be prepared to follow hand hygiene guidelines if the hospital provided the necessary facilities.
ISSN:0195-6701
1532-2939
1532-2939
DOI:10.1016/j.jhin.2011.12.017