2011 Volume 21 Issue 2 Pages 1-11
〔Purpose〕The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of educational methods for hand hygiene using a simple bacteriological examination.
〔Method〕The subjects were 74 students in the second year of a course for the bachelor of nursing. Educational intervention for hand hygiene using a simple bacteriological examination was performed in 13 of the subjects during the practical nursing training in the second year （intervention group）. Then, a questionnaire survey on hand hygiene was conducted immediately and 1.5 years after the intervention.
〔Results〕The total score of knowledge regarding hand hygiene was significantly higher in the intervention group at 1.5 years. As for the status of practicing hand hygiene, the rate of using a specified amount of alcohol-based handrub was significantly higher in the intervention group during the area-specific practical training in the fourth year. One and a half year after the intervention, the degree of belief that hand antisepsis is“beneficial to patients”and“beneficial to me”was significantly higher in the intervention group.
〔Conclusion〕We discovered that hand hygiene education using simple bacteriological examination is effective for nursing students to obtain hand hygiene skills. These findings suggested a direction of education concerning hand hygiene in basic nursing education.
