Birks, Melanie, Coyle, Meaghan, Porter, Joanne, and Mills, Jane (2011) Perceptions of hand hygiene amongst health care workers in Sibu, East Malaysia. International Journal of Infection Control, 8 (1). pp. 10-13.

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Abstract

The importance of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of disease is universally accepted. Nonetheless, many health care professionals, in spite of acknowledging the significance of this practice, are not always vigilant in carrying out hand hygiene. The purpose of this paper is to report on a study of the perceptions of health care workers in relation to hand hygiene. This study employed a quantitative survey design to ascertain the perceptions of hand hygiene amongst health care professions in the unique location of Sibu, East Malaysia. A modified World Health Organisation questionnaire was used to gather data that was subjected to descriptive analytical techniques. The outcomes of this research indicated that those sampled recognise the importance of performing hand hygiene both for themselves and others. Participants rated a number of activities as of particular value in promoting hand hygiene. The findings of this study reinforce much of the literature, particularly in relation to need for education, resources and supportive measures in ensuring good hand hygiene practices. Recommendations from this study suggest the need for future larger research studies that explore additional socio-cultural factors and employ more diverse methods to enhance the validity of the findings.

Item ID:	24503
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1996-9783
Keywords:	hygiene; hand-microbiology; hand washing; health personnel
Related URLs:	http://www.ijic.info/article/view/8929
Funders:	Australia Malaysia Institute
Date Deposited:	21 Jan 2013 00:37
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1110 Nursing > 111099 Nursing not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9299 Other Health > 929999 Health not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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