Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2pzkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-04T00:08:41.900Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sustained High Level of Healthcare Worker Adherence With Hand Hygiene Practice Recommendations Using the Patient-as-Observer Approach in the Ambulatory Setting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2016

Rachael A. Lee ,
Gary R. Cutter ,
Janet L. Pate ,
Emily Boohaker  and
Bernard C. Camins
Rachael A. Lee*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Gary R. Cutter
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Janet L. Pate
Affiliation:
University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama
Emily Boohaker
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Bernard C. Camins
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
*
Address correspondence to Rachael A. Lee, MD, 1900 University Blvd, THT 229, Birmingham, AL 35294 (ralee@uabmc.edu).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We report on a quality improvement initiative for hand hygiene adherence using the patient-as-observer method in the ambulatory setting. There were 604,661 observations recorded with improvement of adherence from 88% to 95% or greater; alcohol-based hand sanitizer purchasing correlated with this increase. This sustainable method effectively ensures hand hygiene adherence.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1496–1498

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 37 , Issue 12 , December 2016 , pp. 1496 - 1498
Copyright
© 2016 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Presented in part: IDWeek 2015; San Diego, California; October 7–11, 2015 (Abstract 1099).

References

REFERENCES

1. Ellingson, K, Haas, JP, Aiello, AE, et al. Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35:S155–S178.Google Scholar
2. Camins, BC, Fraser, VJ. Reducing the risk of health care-associated infections by complying with CDC hand hygiene guidelines. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2005;31:173–179.Google Scholar
3. Magnus, TP, Marra, AR, Camargo, TZ, et al. Measuring hand hygiene compliance rates in different special care settings: a comparative study of methodologies. Int J Infect Dis 2015;33:205–208.Google Scholar
4. Jeanes, A, Coen, PG, Wilson, AP, Drey, NS, Gould, DJ. Collecting the data but missing the point: validity of hand hygiene audit data. J Hosp Infect 2015;90:156–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Luangasanatip, N, Hongsuwan, M, Limmathurotsakul, D, et al. Comparative efficacy of interventions to promote hand hygiene in hospital: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ 2015;351:h3728.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Davis, R, Parand, A, Pinto, A, Buetow, S. Systematic review of the effectiveness of strategies to encourage patients to remind healthcare professionals about their hand hygiene. J Hosp Infect 2015;89:141–162.Google Scholar
7. Bittle, MJ, LaMarche, S. Engaging the patient as observer to promote hand hygiene compliance in ambulatory care. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2009;35:519–525.Google Scholar
8. Le-Abuyen, S, Ng, J, Kim, S, et al. Patient-as-observer approach: an alternative method for hand hygiene auditing in an ambulatory care setting. Am J Infect Control 2014;42:439–442.Google Scholar
9. Haubitz, S, Atkinson, A, Kaspar, T, et al. Handrub consumption mirrors hand hygiene compliance. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:707–710.Google Scholar
10. Eckmanns, T, Bessert, J, Behnke, M, Gastmeier, P, Ruden, H. Compliance with antiseptic hand rub use in intensive care units: the Hawthorne effect. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2006;27:931–934.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: Image

Lee supplementary material

Online Supplemental Figure 1

Download Lee supplementary material(Image)
Image 125.5 KB