According to the research conducted by Mary-Louise McLaws, of the University of New South Wales it was found that health workers often failed to wash their hands after every patient which resulted in increased cross infections among patients. She said that failing to wash their hands is due to the attitudes learnt in childhood.

If they were taught from a young age to wash their hands to protect themselves from germs then they would do so. Hence this would later inculcate the habit in their profession. Even in busy job work such as taking a patient's temperature or making their bed they would remember to wash their hands after the job. They are not aware of the danger they are placing themselves as well as the other patients.

Associate Professor McLaws, of the school of public health and community medicine said that according to statistics every year about thousands of people are put at risk of contracting infections. The results were published in the Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Health-care workers should undergo a behavior modification program which would reduce the number of cross infection in the hospitals.