Reducing hospital associated infection: a role for social marketing

Purpose - Although hand hygiene is seen as the most important method to prevent the transmission of hospital associated infection in the UK, hand hygiene compliance rates appear to remain poor. This research aims to assess the degree to which social marketing methodology can be adopted by a particular organisation to promote hand hygiene compliance. Design methodology approach - The research design is based on a conceptual framework developed from analysis of social marketing literature. Data collection involved taped interviews given by nursing staff working within a specific Hospital Directorate in Manchester, England. Supplementary data were obtained from archival records of the hand hygiene compliance rates. Findings - Findings highlighted gaps in the Directorate's approach to the promotion of hand hygiene compared to what could be using social marketing methodology. Respondents highlighted how the Directorate failed to fully optimise resources required to endorse hand hygiene practice and this resulted in poorer compliance. Practical implications - From the experiences and events documented, the study suggests how the emergent phenomena could be utilised by the Directorate to apply a social marketing approach which could positively influence hand hygiene compliance. Originality value - The paper seeks to explore the use of social marketing in nursing to promote hand hygiene compliance and offer a conceptual framework that provides a way of measuring the strength of the impact that social marketing methodology could have.