Degree Name

Nursing Practice, DNP

Publication Date

6-24-2025

First Advisor

Lisa Drake

Second Advisor

Diane Hare

Abstract

Hand hygiene remains a cornerstone of infection prevention in healthcare, yet gaps in compliance persist among nursing staff, contributing to preventable healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and patient harm. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project, conducted at Piedmont Henry Hospital, was to implement and evaluate an educational intervention targeting nurse managers, with the aim of enhancing their knowledge, self-efficacy, and leadership in promoting hand hygiene compliance. The project addressed the identified problem of inconsistent hand hygiene practices among frontline staff, which was linked to insufficient leadership engagement and ongoing barriers such as time constraints and resource limitations. The methodological approach employed a mixed-methods design, utilizing pre- and post-intervention surveys to assess nurse managers’ knowledge and self-efficacy, alongside qualitative interviews to explore leadership experiences and perceived barriers. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics for quantitative outcomes and thematic analysis for qualitative findings. The intervention resulted in statistically significant improvements in nurse managers’ knowledge (from 70% to 92%), self-efficacy (from 61% to 95%), and routine hand hygiene monitoring (from 44% to 89%). Major findings demonstrated that targeted leadership education fosters a culture of safety and accountability, translating into tangible improvements in hand hygiene practices. The project’s significance lies in its contribution to the nursing profession by providing evidence that empowering nurse managers as change agents can drive sustainable improvements in infection prevention. These results offer a replicable model for healthcare organizations seeking to reduce HAIs and enhance patient safety through leadership development and evidence-based practice.

Rights Management

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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