Self-protection as a driver for hand hygiene among healthcare workers

A total of 2,725 healthcare workers in 8 Mediterranean countries replied to a self-assessment questionnaire that assessed their perceptions on hand hygiene. Responses revealed that rates of hand hygiene compliance before patient contact were significantly less than rates after patient contact (P<.001 ) and that use of soap and water was preferred over use of alcohol-based hand rub. These findings suggest that self-protection could be a major subliminal driver for performance of hand hygiene. © 2009 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.