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The Effects of Social Influence on Nurses' Hand Hygiene Behaviors
Susan E Piras1, Ann Minnick, Jana Lauderdale
1Author Affiliations: (Nursing Instructor (Dr Piras), Vanderbilt University School of Nursing); Senior Associate Dean for Research, Postdoctoral Fellowship Director, and Julia Eleanor Chenault Professor of Nursing (Dr Minnick); Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Dr Lauderdale), Office of Diversity and Inclusion; and Professor (Dr Dietrich), School of Nursing and School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing; and Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Professor of Management (Dr Vogus), Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, Nashville, Tennessee.
Objective:
The aim of this article is to describe the associations of nurses' hand hygiene (HH) attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control with observed and self-reported HH behavior.
Background:
Hand hygiene is an essential strategy to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Despite tremendous efforts, nurses' HH adherence rates remain suboptimal.
Methods:
This quantitative descriptive study of ICU nurses in the southeastern United States was guided by the theory of planned behavior. The self-administered Patient Safety Opinion Survey and iScrub application, which facilitates observation, comprised the data set.
Results:
Nurses' observed HH median was 55%; tendency to self-report was a much higher 90%. Subjective norm and perceived control scores were associated with observed and self-reported HH (P < .05) but not attitude scores or reports of intention.
Conclusions:
Nurses' subjective norm and perceived control are associated with observed and self-reported HH performance. Healthcare workers overestimate their HH performance. Findings suggest future research to explore manipulators of these variables to change nurses' HH behavior.