The global hand-sanitizing relay: promoting hand hygiene through innovation

Area of Science:

• Patient Safety
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The 10th anniversary of the 'Clean Care is Safer Care' program marked the launch of the 'Global Hand Sanitizing Relay 2015' (HSRelay).
• The initiative aimed to enhance hand hygiene (HH) compliance among healthcare workers (HCWs) by promoting the World Health Organization (WHO) handrubbing technique.
• Patient safety and infection control are critical areas in healthcare, with hand hygiene being a cornerstone of prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Global Hand Sanitizing Relay (HSRelay) in improving hand hygiene compliance.
• To assess HCW engagement with novel strategies for enhancing hand hygiene practices.
• To measure changes in hand hygiene compliance rates following participation in the HSRelay program.

Main Methods:

• A hospital-wide activity, the HSRelay involved over 15,000 HCWs from 133 hospitals across 43 countries.
• Pre- and post-event hand hygiene compliance data were collected from 14 participating hospitals.
• The WHO handrubbing technique was promoted as the core component of the intervention.

Main Results:

• 57% (8 out of 14) of reporting hospitals demonstrated a significant increase in hand hygiene compliance.
• The average absolute change in hand hygiene compliance across participating hospitals was 9.4%.
• While some hospitals saw substantial improvements, others reported minimal or no change in compliance rates.

Conclusions:

• The Global Hand Sanitizing Relay (HSRelay) is a viable strategy for promoting hand hygiene and potentially improving compliance.
• Healthcare workers showed interest in participating in innovative programs aimed at enhancing hand hygiene.
• Further research may be needed to understand factors contributing to varied compliance improvements across different healthcare settings.