Hand hygiene compliance in nursing home wards: the effect of increased accessibility of alcohol-based hand rub.
J Hosp Infect
; 147: 206-212, 2024 May.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38521416
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Elderly nursing home residents are vulnerable to infection from micro-organisms. Hand hygiene is considered one of the most important measures to prevent transmission.AIM:
To determine the effect of increased accessibility to alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) in nursing home wards by monitoring hand hygiene compliance (HHC) among healthcare workers (HCWs).METHODS:
An 11-month intervention study was conducted in a Danish six-ward nursing home. Data were collected using an automatic hand hygiene monitoring system (AHHMS). After a baseline period, one extra ABHR dispenser was placed in each of the 150 apartments. Baseline HHC was compared with the HHC during an immediate intervention period and a long-term intervention period.FINDINGS:
A total of 159 HCWs were included. The AHHMS registered 341,078 hand hygiene opportunities. Overall baseline HHC was 31% (95% confidence interval 30-32). A significant +18% absolute immediate effect (first five months) (95% CI 17-19; P < 0.0001) and +13 percentage points (95% CI 11-14; P < 0.0001) long-term effect (another four months) were recorded. HCWs working day shifts and short-term employees had a higher baseline HHC than HCWs working evening/night shifts. However, HCWs working night shifts achieved the greatest long-term effect with a mean +27 percentage point difference (P < 0.0001).CONCLUSION:
Placing an additional ABHR dispenser strategically within staff workflow significantly increased HHC among HCWs, demonstrating a noteworthy effect. The study is the first to report the effect on nursing home dispenser accessibility as a single intervention and to show a significant unmet potential.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Health context:
1_ASSA2030
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Health Personnel
/
Guideline Adherence
/
Alcohols
/
Hand Hygiene
/
Nursing Homes
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
J Hosp Infect
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article