Hand Hygiene Article Collection
Changing the culture of hand hygiene compliance using a bundle that includes a violation letter
Hand hygiene is the best method of preventing transmission of infections in health care, but compliance is usually suboptimal. In one hospital, compliance with hand hygiene was improved and sustained using a multifaceted bundle approach. A unique aspect of the bundle was the creation of a violation letter that was sent to and enforced by managers of noncompliant personnel. The letter appeared to be the major factor in raising the hand hygiene compliance rate from 34% to >90% in a 2-year period.Clostridium difficile colitis: A retrospective study of incidence and severity before and after institution of an alcohol-based hand rub policy
Clostridium difficile‒associated diarrhea is a leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. We sought to determine whether the institution of a hospital-wide alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) policy was associated with an increase in the incidence and/or severity of health care facility‒onset, health care facility‒associated C difficile diarrhea (CDAD).Spreading the handwashing message: An alternative to traditional media campaigns
Schools are a natural place from which to disseminate health messages to the community. Sending an entertaining handwashing video home with preschoolers as a component of a school-based program yielded impressive degrees of penetration and reach among families; consequently, this strategy offers a promising alternative to traditional media campaigns.Increased use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and successful eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a neonatal intensive care unit: A multivariate time series analysis
We analyzed time series data to investigate factors that contributed to the gradual decrease and eventual eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Are short training sessions on hand hygiene effective in preventing hospital-acquired MRSA? A time-series analysis
We tested the impact of short hand hygiene training sessions and bed occupancy rates on the spread of hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using a multivariate time-series analysis. According to our model, bed occupancy rates within general ward and intensive care unit settings correlated positively with the incidence of hospital-acquired MRSA, whereas alcohol-based hand rub use and MRSA showed a negative correlation. Furthermore, our model shows that 2 hand hygiene campaigns based on short training sessions effected a long-run reduction in the incidence of hospital-acquired MRSA.Does hand hygiene compliance among health care workers change when patients are in contact precaution rooms in ICUs?
Hand hygiene compliance rates among health care workers (HCW) rarely exceed 50%. Contact precautions are thought to increase HCWs' hand hygiene awareness. We sought to determine any differences in hand hygiene compliance rates for HCW between patients in contact precaution and those not in any isolation.Improving hand hygiene compliance: A multidisciplinary approach
This article focuses on improving hand hygiene compliance using a multidisciplinary approach. Historically, hand hygiene compliance among health care workers and physicians has been far below an acceptable level. The facility discussed in this article uses an ongoing “Hand Hygiene” campaign, which is multidisciplinary and addresses numerous barriers to compliance.Prevention of the spread of infection: The need for a family-centered approach to hygiene promotion
Infectious diseases (IDs) continue to be a significant health and economic burden on the community, and the emergence of new pathogens, including antimicrobial resistant strains, demand new prevention strategies, which involve not only health care settings but the community as a whole. The situation is exacerbated by social, demographic, and other changes, which means that people with reduced immunity to infection now make up an increasing proportion of the global population.1 Technologic and policy changes are introduced to save costs or reduce environmental effects without regard to their potential impact on ID risks.Evaluating the impact of a hand hygiene campaign on improving adherence
We monitored compliance with hand hygiene (HH) by direct observation in 3 hospitals in Cantabria, Spain before and after implementation of an HH informational campaign, separately analyzing the effect of a training program. We report that training plus an informational campaign doubled the probability of HH, whereas the informational campaign without training decreased adherence, acting as a deleterious factor in HH adherence.The World Health Organization hand hygiene observation method
Monitoring hand hygiene adherence and providing performance feedback to health care workers is a critical component of multimodal hand hygiene promotion programs, but important variations exist in the way adherence is measured. Within the framework of the World Health Organization's (WHO) First Global Patient Safety Challenge known as “Clean Care is Safer Care,” an evidence-based, user-centered concept, “My five moments for hand hygiene,” has been developed for measuring, teaching, and reporting hand hygiene adherence.Return to Hand Hygiene: The Effectiveness of an Innovative Hand Hygiene Campaign
Saungi McCalla, MSN, MPH, RN,CIC, Director of Infection Control; Paul Quinn, MSN, CNM, RN-BC, NE-BC, CEN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse Specialist; Xiaohong Yu, M.Ed, RN; Clinical Information Coordinator, White Plains Hospital Center, White Plains, NY.Raising the Bar on Hand Hygiene Compliance: A Leadership Lead System-Wide Initiative
Judy Prescott, RN, BSN, CIC, Manager, Epidemiology; William Sutker, MD, Medical Director, Epidemiology; Cristie Columbus, MD, Asst. Medical Director; Irving Prengler, MD, Chief Medical Officer; Janette Brown, RN, BSN; Fidelina Valencia, RN, BSN; Allen Peden, RN; Connie Izzo, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TXClean Hands for Life™: Results of a Regional Hand Hygiene Campaign
Leslie A. Forrester, BA (Hons.), MA, MSc, Regional Hospital Epidemiologist, Vancouver Coastal Health, Powell River, BC Canada, Elizabeth A. Bryce, MD, Regional Medical Director, Anne K. Mediaa, BSc, Research Assistant, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC Canada.A Program for Monitoring Staff Hand Hygiene Activity at a Small Orthopaedic Pediatric Hospital
Helen S. Brom, RN, BSN, Infection Control/Employee Health Coordinator, Dori Henderson, PhD, Staff Development Coordinator, Shriners Hospitals for Children/Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN.Hand Hygiene Measurement
Marla Clifton, RN, MSN, CIC, Infection Control Practitioner, Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati, OH.Multi-Tiered Approach to Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring
Susan Boeker, BSN, RN, CIC, Infection Control Practitioner, Connie Steed, RN, MSN, CIC, Director of Infection Control, William Kelly, MD, Hospital Epidemiologist, Karen Corwin, CPM, Purchasing Agent, Greenville Hospital System, Greenville, SC.Hand Hygiene Stations: Building a Culture of Hand Hygiene in a Large Urban Teaching Facility
Judy Prescott, RN, BSN, CIC, Manager, Epidemiology, William Sutker, MD, Medical Director, Epidemiology, Cristie Columbus, MD, Assistant Medical Director, Epidemiology, Fidelina Valencia, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Allen Peden, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Connie Izzo, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Janette Brown, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX.Increasing Employee Hand Hygiene Compliance: A Patient Safety Goal
ISSUE: In 2003 healthcare worker hand hygiene became a patient safety goal. In October 2003 the Greenwich Hospital/Yale New Haven Health System Quality Management selected employee compliance with hand hygiene as a quality core measure. Employee compliance with the hand hygiene guidelines was 58% at the start of the initiative. Employees were inconsistent with their hand hygiene practices, had unrealistic perceptions of hand hygiene compliance, failed to recognize the risk to the patient, and were unaware of the hand hygiene policy.Hand Hygiene: Staff-Driven Approach Leads to Success
ISSUE: Since Ignaz Semmelweis first demonstrated the effectiveness of hand hygiene in reducing instances of puerperal sepsis, hand hygiene has been the key concept in reducing the transmission of organisms. Despite the availability of hand sanitizers in the hallways and reminders by Infection Control personnel, compliance with hand hygiene at our institution was similar to trends of low hand hygiene compliance as reported nationally. PROJECT: In 2004, the Infection Control Department, in conjunction with Quality Management, initiated a hospital wide hand hygiene campaign, whose goal was to improve staff compliance with hand hygiene.Staff hand hygiene monitors: How do you get them done?
ISSUE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health Care Settings recommends monitoring adherence to hand hygiene and providing feedback to staff. We wanted to do this and determine accurate baseline compliance rates for all direct patient care areas but lacked infection control (IC) staffing to accomplish this goal. We also feared that results would be positively skewed if IC staff did the monitors. PROJECT: We utilized a high school student seeking healthcare-related work experience to conduct hand hygiene monitors in all direct patient care areas.
