Qualitative Study on Hospital Staffs' Attitude towards Hand Hygiene in a Secondary Care Hospital in the Srinagar City

Background: Horizontal transmission of bacterial organisms continues to lead to a high nosocomial infection rate in healthcare settings, and hospital-acquired infections are a growing global health concern. It is believed that healthcare workers' hands are the main means of transmission for most nosocomial infections. Hand washing is a useful tool for lowering infection rates. Objectives: To determine the health care professionals? attitude regarding hand hygiene practices. Materials and Methods: Qualitative study was undertaken to assess infection transmission, hand hygiene recommendations and implementation issues, and ways to increase compliance. Data was collected by Focus group discussions, that were recorded, verbatim transcribed, translated into English (when held in Kashmiri or Urdu), and then subjected to content analysis. Findings: Two themes emerged: "roles and responsibilities for sustainable and efficient implementation of context-relevant approaches and interventions" and "interrelationship of knowledge, beliefs, motivation, practices, and needs.? Although most staff members understood the value of hand hygiene in preventing infections linked to healthcare, they saw practical difficulties with implementation. If the hospital provided the necessary resources, the staff appeared willing to follow hand hygiene recommendations and suggested a variety of interventions.