ABSTRACT
Nurses have an ethical and legal duty to protect patients against infection (Cochrane
2000; Department of Health [DH] 2006a) but within hospital and residential situations,
where many nurses work, the risk of cross-infection is high. In any healthcare setting,
unless adequate care is taken, nurses can unwittingly transmit microorganisms from
one person to another. The media regularly report concerns about lack of cleanliness
and associated infection rates in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
