A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection examined the effect and sustainability of a multi-modal improvement program for hand hygiene based on the World Health Organization strategy.
Researchers conducted the study at a 450-bed teaching hospital in Switzerland. The improvement program included:
• Increasing access to alcohol hand rub
• Healthcare worker education
• Two-month interval compliance measurement
• Hospital-wide open communication about ward-level results, point-of-care reminders, communication via a dedicated in-house newsletter and leadership engagement
Researchers gathered data from 33,476 observations, collected from September 2012 to March 2014.
They found overall hand hygiene compliance improved from 61.4 percent at baseline to 83.6 percent when the improvement program was implemented. The compliance rate remained at 85.3 percent 18 months after the program.