title: Prevention of healthcare-associated infections in general practice: current practice and drivers for change in a French study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The fight against Healthcare-associated infections is a public health priority and a major challenge for the safety and quality of care. The objective was to assess hygiene in general practitioners' (GPs') office and identify barriers to and drivers for better practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional study in which a questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected, representative sample of 800 GPs. We used a self-administered questionnaire. The first part assessed current practice and the second part focused on barriers and motivating factors for better practice. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis of the responses to closed questions and a qualitative analysis of the responses to open-ended questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only a third of the GPs were aware of the current guidelines. Disposable equipment was used by 31% of the GPs. For the remainder, only 38% complied with the recommended procedures for sterilisation or disinfection. Seventy-two percent of the GPs washed their hands between consultations in the office. A significant minority of physicians disregarded the guidelines by never wearing gloves to perform sutures (11%), treat wounds (10%), fit intrauterine devices (18%) or perform injections (18%). The main barriers to good practice were the high cost of modifications and lack of time/space. Two third of the GPs did not intend to change their practices. The drivers for change were pressure from patients (4.8 on a scale of 1 to 7), inspection by the health authorities (4.8) and the fear of legal action (4.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that there are significant differences between current practice and laid-down professional guidelines. Policies for improvement of hygiene must take into account barriers and motivating factors.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Picardy, 3 rue des Louvels, F-80000, France. maxime.gignon@u-picardie.fr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gignon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farcy
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Schmit
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ganry
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D058006:General Practice / Q000379:methods*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires