Use of hand-held computers to determine the relative contribution of different cognitive, attitudinal, social, and organizational factors on health care workers' decision to decontaminate hands.

Background: Observational and survey methods have limitations in measuring hand hygiene behavior. The ability of a personal digital assistant to anonymously gather data at the point of decision making could potentially address these.

Methods: Participants were provided with a personal digital assistant to be used for three 2-hour periods and asked to rate influential factors of the Health Belief Model (HBM).

Frequency of nursing tasks in medical and surgical wards.

Aim: To explore the frequency of different nursing tasks in medical and surgical wards.

Background: The time nurses spend on direct patient care is important for both patients and nurses. However, little is known about the time nurses spend on various nursing tasks.

Nursing stress and patient care: real-time investigation of the effect of nursing tasks and demands on psychological stress, physiological stress, and job performance: study protocol.

Aim: To examine the effects of nursing tasks (including their physiological and psychological demands, and the moderating effects of reward and control) on distress and job performance in real time.

Background: Nurses working in hospital settings report high levels of occupational stress. Stress in nurses has been linked to reduced physical and psychological health, reduced job satisfaction, increased sickness absence, increased staff turnover, and poorer job performance.