Hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in a superspeciality tertiary care hospital

Background: Device-associated infections (DAIs) like ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), central-line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), and catheter-related urinary tract Infection (CAUTI) constitute predominant healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs). Objectives: The study aims to elucidate their trends in an adult ICU. Methods: Over 21 months, monthly VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI rate, and device utilization ratios were calculated in an adult ICU of a tertiary care hospital as part of routine surveillance activity. All cases of VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI during these 21 months were included. In addition, monthly hand hygiene compliance rates were assessed during the latter period of the study by direct observation method. Results: Nosocomial DAI rate was 49.38 DAI/1000 ICU days. CAUTI, CLABSI, and VAP rates were 17.38, 26.85, 21.08 per 1000 device days, and device utilization ratios were 0.99, 0.61, and 0.02, respectively. Conclusion: The institute had high DAI rates in comparison to other studies from the same city. The declining trend of CAUTI rates roughly coincided with surveillance for hand hygiene compliance in ICU. Thus, it establishes baseline data and underscores the need for focused HIC to maximize patient outcomes.

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Hand hygiene promotion delivered by change agents—Two attitudes, similar outcome

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2019.339 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 273-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yew Fong Lee ◽

Mary-Louise McLaws ◽

Loke Meng Ong ◽

Suraya Amir Husin ◽

Hock Hin Chua ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hand Hygiene ◽

Hand Hygiene Compliance ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Change Agents ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Hand Hygiene Improvement ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Hygiene Promotion ◽

Hygiene Compliance

AbstractObjective:To assess the effect of peer-identified change agents (PICAs) compared to management-selected change agents (MSCAs) on hand hygiene behavior in acute care.Design:Randomized-controlled study.Setting:Two internal medicine wards of a public, university-affiliated, tertiary-care hospital in Malaysia.Methods:We randomly allocated 2 wards to hand hygiene promotion delivered either by PICAs (study arm 1) or by MSCAs (study arm 2). The primary outcome was hand hygiene compliance using direct observation by validated auditors. Secondary outcomes were hand hygiene knowledge and observations from ward tours.Results:Mean hand hygiene compliance in study arm 1 and study arm 2 improved from 48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 44%–53%) and 50% (95% CI, 44%–55%) in the preintervention period to 66% (63%–69%) and 65% (60%–69%) in the intervention period, respectively. We detected no statistically significant difference in hand hygiene improvement between the 2 study arms. Knowledge scores on hand hygiene in study arm 1 and study arm 2 improved from 60% and 63% to 98% and 93%, respectively. Staff in study arm 1 improved hand hygiene because they did not want to disappoint the efforts taken by the PICAs. Staff in study arm 2 felt pressured by the MSCAs to comply with hand hygiene to obtain good overall performance appraisals.Conclusion:Although the attitude of PICAs and MSCAs in terms of leadership, mode of action and perception of their task by staff were very different, or even opposed, both PICAs and MSCAs effectively changed behavior of staff toward improved hand hygiene to comparable levels.

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