Using a Multimodal Strategy to Improve Patient Hand Hygiene

Overview

Journal Am J Infect Control

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2020 Dec 22

PMID 33352252

Citations 2

Authors

Heather P Loveday

Alison Tingle

Jennie A Wilson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The role of health care worker hand hygiene in preventing health care associated infections (HCAI) is well-established. There is less emphasis on the hand hygiene (HH) of hospitalized patients; in the context of COVID-19 mechanisms to support it are particularly important. The purpose of this study was to establish if providing patient hand wipes, and a defined protocol for encouraging their use, was effective in improving the frequency of patient HH (PHH).

Design: Before and after study.

Settin: General Hospital, United Kingdom.

Participants: All adult patients admitted to 6 acute elderly care/rehabilitation hospital wards between July and October 2018.

Methods: Baseline audit of PHH opportunities conducted over 6 weeks. Focus group with staff and survey of the public informed the development of a PHH bundle. Effect of bundle on PHH monitored by structured observation of HH opportunities over 12 weeks.

Results: During baseline 303 opportunities for PHH were observed; compliance with PHH was 13.2% (40/303; 95% confidence interval 9.9-7.5). In the evaluation of PHH bundle, 526 PHH opportunities were observed with HH occurring in 58.9% (310/526); an increase of 45.7% versus baseline (95% confidence interval 39.7%-51.0%; P < .001).

Conclusion: Providing patients with multiwipe packs of handwipes is a simple, cost-effective approach to increasing PHH and reducing the risk of HCAI in hospital. Health care workers play an essential role in encouraging PHH.

Citing Articles

Updates and future directions regarding hand hygiene in the healthcare setting: insights from the 3rd ICPIC alcohol-based handrub (ABHR) task force.

Tartari E, Bellissimo-Rodrigues F, Pires D, Fankhauser C, Lotfinejad N, Saito H Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2024; 13(1):26.

PMID: 38424571 PMC: 10905912. DOI: 10.1186/s13756-024-01374-9.

Validating agent-based simulation model of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection using primary hospital data.

Scaria E, Safdar N, Alagoz O PLoS One. 2023; 18(4):e0284611.

PMID: 37083629 PMC: 10120937. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284611.

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