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Hospital volunteers' perceptions and understanding of infection control: an exploratory study

Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool L16 9JD

J. Hughes

University Hospital Aintree, Lower Lane, Liverpool L9 7AL

I. Hall

The University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX

T. Owen

University Hospital Aintree, Lower Lane, Liverpool L9 7AL

Hospital volunteers are fast establishing themselves as an integral part of hospital life, yet a review of the literature shows that at present they are the least researched group in the health sector. This paper reports an ethnographic study that explored hospital volunteers' perceptions and understanding of infection control. The main themes identified provided an insight into how volunteers perceived risks to patients and themselves. The research was conducted while Waheed was a final year student at Liverpool Hope University, where she was supervised by Hall as part of the Interchange programme of students conducting research with community groups (Hall and Hall, 1996). Hughes and Owen were the partners in the research, representing the Volunteer Scheme at Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust.

Key Words: Volunteers • perceptions • ethnography

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