What is it about?
Hand hygiene is one of the most important and inexpensive methods for prevention of infections, yet monitoring for adherence in the ambulatory setting is a challenge. UAB has implemented a quality improvement initiative across ambulatory clinics using patients as observers for hand hygiene adherence. This is the largest data set to date, engaging patients in their care, and ultimately sustaining a high level of hand hygiene (>95% across all health care providers).
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Why is it important?
Hand hygiene adherence has been shown to decrease hospital-acquired infections. This is the largest data set to date that engages patients to monitor hand hygiene. Results have shown improved and sustained adherence across a variety of clinics.
Perspectives
As a physician, hand hygiene is the first thing I can do to show a patient that I care about their health. I have also been a patient in one of the clinics and have seen firsthand how my monitoring of hand hygiene is taken very seriously by all providers.
Dr. Rachael A Lee
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Sustained High Level of Healthcare Worker Adherence With Hand Hygiene Practice Recommendations Using the Patient-as-Observer Approach in the Ambulatory Setting, Infection Control, October 2016, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/ice.2016.211.
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