Register      Login
Australian Health Review Australian Health Review Society
Journal of the Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Compliance of hand washing practices: Theory versus practice

Lorette Roberts, Patrick Bolton and Sonia Asman

Australian Health Review 21(4) 238 - 244
Published: 1998

Abstract

Hand washing remains an important preventative method for making thetransmission of nosocomial infections redundant. Despite awareness by health workersof the practices required and of the legislation governing hand washing, the studyreported here found that compliance to these procedures was quite poor. The resultsof two surveys distributed to health workers and direct observation by clinical staffin an aged care hospital found that 45percent of health workers did not wash their handsand 24 percent did not change their gloves between patient consultation. Methods forincreasing effective hand washing in clinical settings must be identified if hygienicpractice is to be improved.

https://doi.org/10.1071/AH980238

© AHHA 1998

Committee on Publication Ethics

PDF (294 KB) Export Citation

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share via Email

View Dimensions

View Altmetrics