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The Precision of Human-Generated Hand-Hygiene Observations: A Comparison of Human Observation with an Automated Monitoring System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Deepti Sharma ,
Geb W. Thomas ,
Eric D. Foster ,
Jaclyn Iacovelli ,
Krista M. Lea ,
Judy A. Streit  and
Philip M. Polgreen
Deepti Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Geb W. Thomas
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Eric D. Foster
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Jaclyn Iacovelli
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Krista M. Lea
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Judy A. Streit
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Philip M. Polgreen*
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
*
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242 (philip-polgreen@uiowa.edu)
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Abstract

We compared the observations of nearly 1,400 hand-hygiene-related events recorded by an automated system and by human observers. Observation details differed for 38% of these events. Two likely explanations for these inconsistencies were the distance between the observer and the event and the busyness of the clinic.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 33 , Issue 12 , December 2012 , pp. 1259 - 1261
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2012

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