Highlights
- •Here we demonstrate that a novel hand hygiene monitoring program significantly increased hand hygiene compliance.
- •Increased hand hygiene compliance after program implementation was sustained for more than 6 months.
- •Continuous monitoring by salient observers and immediate feedback are imperative for a successful hand hygiene program.
Background
Health care–associated infections are serious complications impacting 2 million patients
and accounting for approximately 100,000 deaths per year. In the present study, we
evaluated the effectiveness of a new hand hygiene monitoring program (HHMP) and measured
the sustainability of this effectiveness over a 1-year period.
Methods
The HHMP consisted of 4 key components: extensive education, conspicuous and visible
monitors, immediate feedback concerning compliance to health care workers, and real-time
data dissemination to leadership. The HHMP was implemented in 2 hospital care units.
Two different, but similar, departments served as controls, and hand hygiene compliance
was monitored via the “secret shopper” technique. All 4 departments were followed
for 12 months.
Results
Both experimental departments showed statistically significant increases in hand hygiene
compliance. Experimental department 1 increased compliance from 49% to an average
of 90%, and experimental department 2 increased compliance from 60% to an average
of 96%. Both experimental departments were able to sustain these results for at least
6 months. Compliance rates were significantly higher in the experimental departments
compared with the control departments. No significant changes were seen in the control
departments.
Conclusions
These finding suggest that continuous monitoring by salient observers and immediate
feedback are critical to the success of hand hygiene programs.
Key Words
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Article Info
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
