부산대학교 도서관

Background: The number of long-term care institutions is growing rapidly due to the aging population. Nurse assistants are the main personnel employed by these institutions. To satisfy residents' care needs for daily living, frequent contact between nurse assistants and the residents is inevitable. Therefore, ensuring the hand hygiene practice of nurse assistants is crucial for maintaining residents' health and preventing infection. The purpose of the study was to investigate the current situation of and factors influencing the hand hygiene behavior of nurse assistants in long-term care institutions. Methods: The PRECEDE model was employed in the present study, and the predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors of the model were used as the research framework. A cross-sectional study design and proportionate sampling were employed to recruit 131 nurse aides in 34 institutions with Class 2 and above accreditation in a county. The research instruments utilized were questionnaires regarding nurse assistant demographics; knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to hand hygiene; institutional facilities and materials; work norm; and support and feedback regarding hand hygiene behavior. Results: The results of the study revealed that higher than average scores were obtained for three factors (predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing) and hand hygiene. Weak positive correlation was noted between the predisposing factor and hand hygiene behavior (r = .380, p ＜ .05), and weak positive correlations were identified between two predisposing factors (attitudes and beliefs) and hand hygiene behavior (r = .397 for attitudes, r = .296 for beliefs, p ＜ 0.05). Moderate positive correlation was found between reinforcing factors and hand hygiene behavior (r = .411, p ＜ .05). In the hand hygiene behavior prediction model, predisposing and reinforcing factors were significant predictors, explaining a total of 16.5% and 16.9% variance, respectively. Conclusions: We recommend that the correct concept of hand washing and administrative support be emphasized and that sufficient and convenient hand washing facilities must be provided in long-term care institutions to increase the compliance of nurse assistants with respect to hand hygiene behavior, reduce the risk of infection, and ensure high-quality care.