Hand Hygiene Compliance and Bacterial Colonization on Personal Belongings

The Relationship Between Intensive Care Nurses' Hand Hygiene Compliance and Competence and Bacterial Colonization on Their Personal Belongings

This study aims to examine whether intensive care nurses' hand hygiene practices are related to the presence and amount of bacteria on their frequently used personal belongings, such as mobile phones, pens, and identification badges. Intensive care units are high-risk environments for infections because patients are often critically ill and require invasive medical procedures. Nurses have an important role in preventing the spread of infections through appropriate hand hygiene. In this study, nurses' self-reported hand hygiene compliance will be assessed, and samples will be collected from their personal belongings to identify bacterial contamination. The amount and types of bacteria found on these belongings will be examined. The study will determine whether nurses with different levels of hand hygiene compliance have differences in bacterial contamination of their personal belongings. The findings may contribute to improving infection prevention practices and developing targeted hygiene education for intensive care nurses.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Nurses who agree to participate in the study and provide written informed consent.
• Nurses working in the intensive care units of the participating hospitals.
• Nurses who regularly bring and actively use a mobile phone, pen, and identification badge during clinical work.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Nurses who do not agree to participate in the study or do not provide written informed consent.
• Nurses who are absent from the intensive care unit during the data collection period due to annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, or educational activities outside the hospital.
• Nurses with an open wound or injury on their hands that prevents them from appropriately performing standard hand hygiene practices, including handwashing and use of hand disinfectant.
• Nurses who do not participate directly in patient care, including administrative nurses, charge nurses who are not involved in clinical practice, and infection control nurses responsible for unit-level infection control.
• Participants who do not completely complete the questionnaire or have circumstances that prevent adherence to aseptic procedures during microbiological sampling.