OBM techniques—specifically, training, goal setting, and feedback—also helped increase nurse
anesthetists’ compliance with procedures (i.e., hand sanitizing) to reduce the probability of
accidental exposure to blood-borne pathogens.35 Hand sanitizing increased from 24 percent at
baseline to 65 percent during the intervention and was maintained at 52 percent following
withdrawal of the intervention. Additionally, nontargeted precautionary behaviors increased as a
result of the intervention, including recapping needles with one hand (from 45 to 61 percent);
removing gloves from the inside out (from 61 to 93 percent); and wearing gloves when
discarding waste (from 31 to 52 percent). This impact on nontargeted behavior suggests a spread
of OBM influence, a phenomenon known as “response generalization.