The Italian hand hygiene project: A joint-commission Italian network analysis

Hand hygiene (HH) is a straightforward yet highly effective preventive measure against healthcare-associated infections; however, global compliance remains suboptimal. This study analyzed a substantial Italian dataset, focusing on adherence to HH guidelines among healthcare professionals, and identified key factors influencing compliance.

Direct multi- wave cross-sectional observational data on hand hygiene from over 749,000 opportunities were collected between 2017 and 2024 across 30 Italian hospitals participating in the Joint Commission International Hand Hygiene Project. Traditional statistical analyses and supervised machine learning (ML) models were employed to evaluate compliance rates and to examine their association with the year of observation, clinical area, professional role, and patient interaction moment (opportunity). Additionally, ML models were implemented to support proactive, risk- based surveillance within hospital settings by identifying high- risk contexts and facilitating more targeted monitoring strategies.

Overall hand hygiene compliance increased from 73.5% in 2017-82% in 2024, surpassing the World Health Organization's (WHO) target of 80% from 2020 onwards. Nursing staff demonstrated the highest adherence. High-risk opportunities, such as pre-aseptic procedures and post-exposure to bodily fluids, exhibited higher compliance than other moments. Emergency departments recorded the lowest compliance rates (76.3%). ML models confirmed that the year, patient interaction moment, and professional role are the most significant predictors of adherence. The most effective ML model achieved an accuracy of 64.6% in classifying hand hygiene actions.

This analysis underscores an improving trend in hand hygiene practices within Italian hospitals and concurrently identifies specific contexts-such as emergency departments-that require targeted interventions. The integration of observational monitoring with predictive artificial intelligence models could facilitate proactive, risk-based surveillance and focused improvement strategies. Accreditation-driven, multi-modal initiatives like this project highlight the vital role of measurement in fostering a culture of hand hygiene and advancing patient safety.