Effectiveness of a multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategy in the emergency department

Publication date: Available online 6 May 2016
Source:American Journal of Infection Control
Author(s): P.R.H. Arntz, J. Hopman, M. Nillesen, E. Yalcin, C.P. Bleeker-Rovers, A. Voss, M. Edwards, A. Wei
BackgroundHand hygiene (HH) is essential in preventing nosocomial infection. The emergency department (ED) is an open portal of entry for pathogens into the hospital system, hence the important sentinel function of the ED personnel. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of a multimodal improvement strategy on hand hygiene compliance in the ED.MethodsOur study was a prospective before-and-after study to determine the effect of a multimodal improvement strategy on the compliance of HH in the ED according to the My 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene defined by the World Health Organization. Interventions such as education, reminders, and regular feedback on HH performance and role models were planned during the 3 intervention weeks.ResultsIn total, 57 ED nurses and ED physicians were observed in this study, and approximately 1,000 opportunities for handrubs were evaluated during the 3 intervention periods. HH compliance increased significantly from baseline from 18% (74/407) to 41% (77/190) after the first intervention and stabilized to 50% (99/200) and 46% (96/210) after the second and third interventions, respectively.ConclusionsImplementing a multimodal HH improvement program significantly improved the HH compliance of ED personnel.



from #MedicinebyAlexandrosSfakianakis via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2707DZD
via IFTTT