Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance of Intensive Care Unit by Using Pender's Model

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Infection prevention and control
• Nursing and allied health professions

Background:

• Hand hygiene (HH) is critical for preventing hospital-acquired infections, as hands are primary vectors for pathogen transmission.
• Effective HH compliance among healthcare professionals is essential for patient safety and reducing healthcare-associated infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of Pender's Health Promotion Model on hand hygiene compliance rates.
• To assess the effectiveness of a targeted intervention on the professional behavior of intensive care unit staff.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study with a single group design was conducted with 90 intensive care unit staff.
• Data were collected via direct observation and a questionnaire based on Pender's Health Promotion Model before and after the intervention.
• Statistical analysis included Paired-samples T-test and Chi-squared test to compare pre- and post-intervention data.

Main Results:

• Hand hygiene compliance increased significantly from 23% to 41.4% post-intervention (p=0.001).
• Significant improvements were observed in HH compliance during specific moments: after touching surroundings (p=0.001) and before/after patient contact (p=0.001).
• The intervention positively influenced perceived barriers, interpersonal influences, and situational influences related to HH compliance.

Conclusions:

• Pender's Health Promotion Model is an effective framework for enhancing hand hygiene compliance among healthcare professionals.
• Implementing this model can lead to improved professional behavior and better infection control outcomes in intensive care units.