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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

A Method to Test the Efficacy of Handwashing for the Removal of Emerging Infectious Pathogens
Published on: June 7, 2017
A tool to assess barriers to adherence to hand hygiene guideline
1Columbia University School of Nursing, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Abstract:
This Brief Report presents results of preliminary testing of a tool, "Attitudes Regarding Practice Guidelines," adapted from previous work by Cabana et al to examine barriers to adherence to practice guidelines. In a small sample of 21 clinicians (10 infectious disease physicians and 11 clinical nurses), the test-retest reliability was.86 and Chronbach alpha was.80, indicating acceptable levels of stability. It is recommended that the instrument undergo further testing and adaptation as a measure of potential barriers to adherence to practice guidelines in general, and to the new Hand Hygiene Guideline for Healthcare Settings specifically.
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