Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in Nursing Homes: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (HANDSOME...

Area of Science:

• Infection Prevention and Control
• Geriatric Care
• Public Health

Background:

• Hand hygiene compliance is crucial for preventing healthcare-associated infections.
• Limited data exists on hand hygiene interventions in nursing homes.
• Effective implementation strategies for hand hygiene in non-hospital settings are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a multimodal intervention to increase hand hygiene compliance among nurses in nursing homes.
• To assess the impact of the intervention on infectious disease incidence in residents.
• To compare hand hygiene compliance with environmental microbial contamination.

Main Methods:

• Cluster randomized controlled trial (HANDSOME study) involving nursing homes.
• Intervention group received a multimodal hand hygiene program; control group did not.
• Hand hygiene compliance measured by direct observation using WHO's 5 moments; infectious disease incidence tracked; surface contamination assessed via PCR.

Main Results:

• Data collection occurred between October 2016 and October 2017.
• Analysis of data, including infectious disease incidence and environmental contamination, is ongoing.
• The study is funded and registered (NTR6188).

Conclusions:

• The HANDSOME study assesses a targeted hand hygiene intervention for nursing home environments.
• Nurses were trained on the World Health Organization's 5 moments using a memorable slogan.
• The intervention is expected to improve hand hygiene, reduce infections, and decrease mortality in nursing homes.