Simulation education as a single intervention does not improve hand hygiene practices: A randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Nursing education and practice
• Infection prevention and control

Background:

• Critical care nurses' adherence to hand hygiene (HH) guidelines is crucial for infection control.
• Assessing the impact of simulation education on HH knowledge and practice is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate differences in critical care nurses' HH knowledge and adherence between intervention and control groups post-simulation education.
• To assess changes over a 2-year follow-up period in both simulation and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted in a Finnish adult mixed medical-surgical intensive care unit.
• Hand hygiene adherence was observed pre- and post-endotracheal suctioning; knowledge was assessed post-observation.
• Thirty nurses participated in baseline measurements, with 17 completing all study procedures over 2 years.

Main Results:

• Overall HH adherence increased from 40.8% to 50.8% at 24 months (P=.002).
• No significant differences in HH adherence or knowledge were found between the intervention and control groups after 2 years.
• Simulation education did not significantly impact HH knowledge levels.

Conclusions:

• A single simulation education session did not elevate critical care nurses' HH knowledge or adherence to target rates.
• Sustained improvements in HH knowledge and adherence require further investigation beyond single simulation interventions.