Discourse on hygiene between hospitalized patients and health care workers as an accepted norm: Making it legitimate to remind health care workers about hand hygiene

Background: Despite World Health Organization recommendations that patients should play a role in encouraging hand hygiene (HH) as a means of preventing infection, patient engagement remains an underused method. From the perspectives of hospitalized patients (HPs) and health care workers (HCWs) at 2 major public hospitals in Haifa, Israel, this research investigated (1) HP barriers to reminding HCWs to maintain HH, (2) HCW barriers to giving HPs instruction on proper hygiene, (3) what could help HPs and HCWs overcome these barriers, and (4) how video clips can be used to devise tailored strategies governing discourse on HH between HCWs and HPs. Methods: Intervention type 2 design and examination of 2 population groups—HPs and HCWs—before and after intervention by means of mixed methods research. Results: Both HPs and HCWs reported partial knowledge, embarrassment, and fears regarding commenting to staff, as well as a lack of cultural adaptation. The interviewees indicated that the video clips granted legitimacy to reminding HCWs about hygiene through strategies designed to identify and solve barriers, authenticity, and cultural adaptation. Conclusions: To overcome HP and HCW barriers to maintaining HH, tailored video clips on HH should specify barriers and solutions with which they can both identify, thus turning discourse on HH into an accepted norm.