Date of Conferral

4-4-2025

Date of Award

April 2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Barbara Niedz

Abstract

In this staff education project, I addressed the critical need to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in behavioral health settings. Poor adherence to hand hygiene protocols is directly linked to increased healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), patient morbidity, and higher healthcare costs in behavioral health environments. The practice-focused question was: How does a hand hygiene intervention program, grounded in the theoretical domains framework, impact hand hygiene compliance among behavioral healthcare workers in inpatient psychiatric units? The purpose of the project was to evaluate the effect of a hand hygiene intervention program on compliance rates among behavioral healthcare workers in inpatient psychiatric units. A 90-minute educational intervention was designed and implemented for 20 behavioral healthcare workers across three inpatient psychiatric units. Pre-- and post-intervention assessments showed significant improvements in knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards hand hygiene. Knowledge scores improved by 38%, with a 92% competency achievement rate in skills demonstrations. Positive attitudes towards hand hygiene increased by 45%. Compliance rates rose from 52.6% to 74.1% at 90 days of post-intervention. This educational intervention demonstrates the effectiveness of a theory-driven approach in improving hand hygiene. It supports positive social change by reducing HAIs, ensuring safer environments for a diverse population of patients, and promoting equitable healthcare practices. Future recommendations include integrating the intervention into hospital policies, maintaining long-term monitoring, and exploring more applications of the behavior change theory.

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