Hospital infection is a complex and conflicting phenomenon in which influences of the socio-cultural nature must be considered. The objective of this study is to better understand the social representations about hospital infections as elaborated by Portuguese nurses. This is an exploratory study developed by 35 nurses in Lisboa, Portugal, who worked in the hospital area. The data was produced through in-depth interviews administered from November, 2006, to February, 2007, and submitted to the thematic content analysis technique. The results point out three different symbolic categories in which the subjects describe the concept of hospital infection, talk about nursing practices facing hospital infections, and the perception of hospital administrators in hospital infection prevention and control. Among the nurses, one observes a concern for the aspects related to institutional and functional policies adopted in the prevention and treatment of hospital infections.
Cross infection; Nursing; Psychology, social