The article, Behavioral Determinants of Hand Hygiene Compliance in Intensive Care Units examines hand hygiene compliance amongst

nursing staff in Intensive Care units. It has been identified that overall hand hygiene compliance in health care is incredibly poor. The poor practice of hand hygiene in health care is directly related to infection rates and transmission. A study was developed to examine specific behavioral determinants such as attitude, social influence, and self-efficacy and their influence on hand hygiene compliance. These determinants were examined in two ways; through a two-part questionnaire and the direct observation method (the gold standard). The questionnaire was the most subjective form of data collection, with certain limitations. This is because the individuals taking the survey tend to over-score themselves to more acceptable behaviors. There was an obvious deficit between the questionnaire results and those of direct observation. The study did show that self-efficacy is crucial in good hand hygiene practice; an individual must have the internal motivation and knowledge in order to be effective. Also, multiple approaches in education of health care professionals in most effective in implementing good hand hygiene. Educational programs, multidisciplinary quality improvement teams, compliance monitoring, and feedback are all elements that have already proven effective and therefore must be included in future interventions. References DeWandel, D., Maes, L., Labeau, S., Vereecken, C., Blot, S. (2010). Behavioral Determinants of Hand Hygiene Compliance in Intensive Care Units. Americal Journal of Critical Care, 19(3), 230-239. doi:10.4037/ajcc2010892