Can We Expect Patients to Question Health Care Workers' Hand Hygiene Compliance?

Discrepancy in perceptions regarding patient participation in hand hygiene between patients and health care workers

“…In addition, the strength of their intent was significantly different according to the job title of the relevant HCW. Such disparities between patients' perceptions and their actions and in patient's comfort according to the status of HCWs, were also suggested in other studies, 9,21 where patients' actual willingness to ask decreased to a half or less. The reasons given for patients not to speak up in this study as well as the previous ones [11][12][13] suggest that patients do not feel fully empowered by HCWs to use PP.…”

“…The positive attitude of patients toward PP in our study was as high as reported in previous studies. 9,10,13,14,17 However the positive perception of HCWs (25%-30%) was much lower than in other studies. 16,18,19 The difference in HCWs' acceptance level might result from differences in the context or culture of the institutions, the relative proportions of the occupation categories, or the ages or ethnic groups of the respondents.…”

“…6 Although major health care authorities have already recommended PP to improve HH, and early studies report that patient engagement increases HH compliance by HCWs, 7,8 questions still remain about whether PP is feasible and acceptable to both HCWs and patients in actual hospital settings. Studies have shown that patients are willing to be engaged, 9,10 and that an explicit invitation by HCWs can increase patients' intention to intervene with HCWs. 10,11 Those studies suggest that acceptance by HCWs is important for successful implementation of PP.…”