Hand Hygiene in an Intensive Care Unit

Aim: To understand the importance and priority assigned to hand hygiene by the health team of an intensive care unit at a university hospital. Materials and methods: A qualitative methodology, with an ethnographic approach, was used. The figures were constructed through participatory observation and interviews with the doctors, nurses and auxiliary nurses who took part in the study, which was conducted inside an intensive care unit at a university hospital. Results: Hand hygiene is a contextualized practice that hinges on the patent, the procedure and the surrounding environment. Those elements determine its value and priority for the hospital staff. Nursing professionals have been given responsibility for ensuring compliance with hand hygiene practices. However, this has sparked conflict with other professionals in the work place. Conclusions: Hand hygiene is an episodic, temporary and contextualized practice with restrictions and demands. The weight and importance assigned to it by the participants depends on the type of patient, the procedure and physical setting.