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Measurement of Patient Hand Hygiene in Multiorgan Transplant Units Using a Novel Technology: An Observational Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2016

Jocelyn A. Srigley ,
Colin D. Furness  and
Michael Gardam
Jocelyn A. Srigley*
Affiliation:
Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Colin D. Furness
Affiliation:
Infonaut, Inc, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Michael Gardam
Affiliation:
Infection Prevention and Control, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
711 Concession Street, M1-Room 8, Hamilton, ON L8V 1C3, Canada (srigley@hhsc.ca).
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Abstract

Objective.

Healthcare worker hand hygiene is known to prevent healthcare-associated infections, but there are few data on patient hand hygiene despite the fact that nosocomial pathogens may be acquired by patients via their own unclean hands. The purpose of this study was to measure patient hand hygiene behavior in the hospital after visiting a bathroom, before eating, and on entering and leaving their rooms

Design.

Cross-sectional study.

Setting.

Acute care teaching hospital in Canada.

Patients.

Convenience sample of 279 adult patients admitted to 3 multiorgan transplant units between July 2012 and March 2013.

Methods.

Patient use of alcohol-based hand rub and soap dispensers was measured using an ultrasound-based real-time location system during visits to bathrooms, mealtimes, kitchen visits, and on entering and leaving their rooms.

Results.

Overall, patients performed hand hygiene during 29.7% of bathroom visits, 39.1% of mealtimes, 3.3% of kitchen visits, 2.9% of room entries, and 6.7% of room exits.

Conclusions.

Patients appear to perform hand hygiene infrequently, which may contribute to transmission of pathogens from the hospital environment via indirect contact or fecal-oral routes.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(11):1336–1341

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 35 , Issue 11 , November 2014 , pp. 1336 - 1341
Copyright
© 2014 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.

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