Alcohol-based handrub improves compliance with hand hygiene in intensive care units.
Arch Intern Med
; 162(9): 1037-43, 2002 May 13.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11996615
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Nosocomial infection is a leading complication in intensive care units. Although hand hygiene is the single most efficient preventive measure, compliance with this simple action remains low.OBJECTIVES:
To assess the effect of an intervention to promote hand hygiene and to investigate risk factors for noncompliance in intensive care units.METHODS:
We performed 7 observational surveys and implemented a promotional campaign after baseline in medical, surgical, and pediatric intensive care units of a teaching hospital. Health care workers were observed during routine patient care. The intervention consisted of a hospitalwide promotional campaign, including observation and performance feedback, posters display, and distribution of individual bottles of alcohol-based handrub. The main outcome measure was compliance with hand hygiene through handwashing or handrubbing.RESULTS:
We observed 2743 opportunities for hand hygiene distributed over 248 periods. Overall compliance increased from 38.4% to 54.5% during the study (P<.001). Although recourse to handwashing remained stable at around 30%, handrubbing increased from 5.4% at baseline to 21.7% at the last survey (P<.001). Compliance increased among nurses and nursing assistants, but remained stable among physicians. Handwashing compliance decreased, on average, by 4.7% for an increase of 10 opportunities for hand hygiene per hour of patient care (P<.001), whereas no such association existed for handrubbing.CONCLUSIONS:
Our intervention induced a marked and sustained increase in compliance with hand hygiene. In intensive care units, less time-consuming handrubbing might replace standard handwashing and overcome the barrier of time constraints.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Desinfecção das Mãos
/
Infecção Hospitalar
/
Controle de Infecções
/
Pessoal de Saúde
/
Unidades de Terapia Intensiva
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2002
Tipo de documento:
Article