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Predictors of Hand Hygiene in the Emergency Department

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Arjun K. Venkatesh
Affiliation:
Brigham and Women's Hospital-Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, Boston, Massachusetts
Daniel J. Pallin
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Stephanie Kayden
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Jeremiah D. Schuur*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
*
Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Neville House, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02115 (jschuur@partners.org)

Abstract

We conducted an observational study to identify predictors of hand hygiene (HH) in the emergency department. Compliance with HH was 89.7% over 5,865 opportunities. Observation unit, hallway or high-visibility location, glove use, and worker type predicted worse HH. Hallway location was the strongest predictor (relative risk, 88.9% [95% confidence interval, 85.9%–92.1%]).

Type
Concise Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2011

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