Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in Acute Care Settings

Naomi Kiara

doi:10.37421/2573-0347.2023.8.316

Perspective - (2023) Volume 8, Issue 2

Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in Acute Care Settings

Naomi Kiara^*

^*Correspondence: Naomi Kiara, Department of Nursing Practices, University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd, Portland, OR 97203, USA, Email:

Author information

Department of Nursing Practices, University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd, Portland, OR 97203, USA

Received: 01-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. APN-23-97382; Editor assigned: 03-Mar-2023, Pre QC No. P-97382; Reviewed: 16-Mar-2023, QC No. Q-97382; Revised: 21-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. R-97382; Published: 29-Mar-2023 , DOI: 10.37421/2573-0347.2023.8.316
Citation: Kiara, Naomi. “Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in Acute Care Settings.” Adv Practice Nurs 8 (2023): 316.
Copyright: © 2023 Kiara N. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Introduction

Hand hygiene is a critical aspect of infection control in acute care settings. Despite the availability of evidence-based guidelines for hand hygiene, compliance with hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers remains suboptimal. Hand hygiene non-compliance is a significant contributor to the spread of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and can lead to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Therefore, improving hand hygiene compliance is an important patient safety issue. The objective of this quality improvement project was to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in an acute care setting. The quality improvement project was conducted in a 200-bed acute care hospital in the United States. The project used a pre- and post-intervention design [1]. The intervention was based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) "Five Moments for Hand Hygiene" and included the following components:

Description

The project team conducted educational sessions for healthcare workers on the importance of hand hygiene and the proper technique for hand hygiene. The project team placed visual reminders, including posters and stickers, in prominent locations to remind healthcare workers to perform hand hygiene. The project team provided regular feedback to healthcare workers on their hand hygiene compliance rates. The feedback was based on observations of hand hygiene practices. The project team collected data on hand hygiene compliance rates before and after the intervention. Hand hygiene compliance rates were measured using direct observation and the WHO Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework. The project team collected data on hand hygiene compliance rates for a total of 30 days, including 15 days before the intervention and 15 days after the intervention. The hand hygiene compliance rate increased from 50% before the intervention to 85% after the intervention. The increase in hand hygiene compliance was statistically significant (p < 0.001).

The quality improvement project was successful in improving hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in an acute care setting. The multifaceted intervention, which included staff education, reminders, and feedback, was based on evidence-based guidelines and was tailored to the local context. The project team used a pre- and post-intervention design to evaluate the impact of the intervention, and the increase in hand hygiene compliance was statistically significant [2].

The quality improvement project has some limitations. Firstly, the project was conducted in a single acute care hospital, and the results may not be generalizable to other settings. Secondly, the project relied on direct observation to measure hand hygiene compliance, which may have introduced bias. Finally, the project did not measure the impact of the intervention on healthcareassociated infections or patient outcomes. Improving hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers is an important patient safety issue. This quality improvement project demonstrates that a multifaceted intervention, which includes staff education, reminders, and feedback, can improve hand hygiene compliance in acute care settings. Healthcare organizations should consider implementing evidence-based interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance and prevent healthcare-associated infections. Future research should focus on evaluating the impact of interventions on healthcare-associated infections and patient outcomes.

Additionally, healthcare organizations should consider implementing a sustained approach to maintaining hand hygiene compliance rates. One possible approach is to develop a culture of hand hygiene where hand hygiene is viewed as a routine and essential practice in the delivery of healthcare. This can be achieved by integrating hand hygiene education and reminders into daily practice, monitoring hand hygiene compliance rates regularly, and providing feedback to healthcare workers. Future research should evaluate the impact of sustained interventions on hand hygiene compliance rates and healthcare-associated infections. Additionally, further research is required to explore the barriers and facilitators to hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers and develop tailored interventions to address these factors [3-5].

Conclusion

Hand hygiene compliance is critical in preventing healthcare-associated infections and improving patient outcomes. The quality improvement project described in this article demonstrates that a multifaceted intervention can improve hand hygiene compliance rates in acute care settings. Healthcare organizations should consider implementing evidence-based interventions, including staff education, reminders, and healthcare-associated infections.