ABSTRACT
According to the DH (2003), it is widely believed that failure to wash hands is due to
laziness or carelessness; however, there are a number of other barriers to good hand
hygiene. In a large hospital-wide survey, Pittet et al. (1999) identified predictors of
non-compliance with hand hygiene during routine patient care. In 2834 observed
opportunities for hand hygiene, average compliance was 48 per cent, being highest
among nurses. Non-compliance was higher in intensive therapy units rather than
medical wards, during procedures with a high risk for bacterial contamination, and
when intensity of patient care was high. The results indicated organisational factors
must be considered and that hand hygiene could improve if focused on certain
wards, groups of staff and patient interventions.
