Patients' hand hygiene at home predicts their hand hygiene practices in the hospital.
We examine factors associated with hand hygiene practices of hospital patients. Hygiene in the hospital decreased compared to that at home, and home practices were strongly associated with hospital practices. Understanding and leveraging the intrinsic value some patients associate with hand hygiene may be important for improving overall hospital hygiene and decreasing healthcare-associated infections.
Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin.
Anna
A
Barker
Ajay
A
Sethi
Emily
E
Shulkin
Rachell
R
Caniza
Sara
S
Zerbel
Nasia
N
Safdar
D000368:Aged; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged