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Fear of Hospital-Acquired Infections: The Combined Impact of Patient’s Hygiene Sensitivity and Perceived Staff Preventive Behavior

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Abstract

Over the years, the public has paid growing attention to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Currently, infection prevention and control are considered a number one national priority in leading developed countries. However, while some hospital visitors are knowledgeable of the topic, others may be ignorant or careless as regards sterility and hygiene-related matters. This study, conducted in Israel, compared people cognizant of hygiene-related issues to those who are less so, in an attempt to account for differences in terms of attitudes and perceptions regarding the hospital environment. Based on Endsley’s (in: Proceedings of the IEEE 1988 national aerospace and electronics conference, IEEE, 1988, 1995) situation awareness concept, we hypothesized that people attending the hospital with different hygiene schema would react differently when faced with HAI-related triggers. Based on a survey of 208 respondents, the results support the hypotheses, and showed a significant moderating effect of hygiene-sensitivity on the relationship between the staffs’ hospital acquired infection-related proactive behavior and avoidance tendencies among hospital visitors. Theoretical as well as practical recommendations are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Technology Management, Holon Institute of Technology (HIT), 52 Golomb St., 58102, Holon, Israel

    Ben Bulmash

  2. Faculty of Business Administration, Ono Academic College, 104 Zahal Street, 55000, Kiryat Ono, Israel

    Ofir Ben-Assuli & Moty Amar

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  1. Ben Bulmash
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  2. Ofir Ben-Assuli
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Correspondence to Ben Bulmash.

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Bulmash, B., Ben-Assuli, O. & Amar, M. Fear of Hospital-Acquired Infections: The Combined Impact of Patient’s Hygiene Sensitivity and Perceived Staff Preventive Behavior. J Community Health 45, 1211–1219 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00857-1

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