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Assessing nurses' hand decontamination performance

D Gould, E Ream

|June 23, 1993

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Nurses’ hand decontamination frequency and technique varied by clinical setting. While intensive care units showed superior technique, overall adherence to essential hand hygiene opportunities remained suboptimal, highlighting areas for improvement in infection control practices.

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Area of Science:

Healthcare quality and safety
Nursing practice and infection control
Hospital epidemiology

Background:

Assessing nurses' hand decontamination practices is crucial for infection prevention.
Previous studies often lack standardized criteria and comparative analyses across different clinical settings.
The role of infection control resources in promoting hand hygiene is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and apply stringent criteria for evaluating nurses' hand decontamination frequency and technique.
To compare hand hygiene practices among nurses in intensive care, surgical, and medical units.
To investigate the influence of an infection control nurse on hand hygiene performance.

Main Methods:

Development of rigorous criteria for assessing hand decontamination.

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Comparative observational study of nurses in three clinical settings (intensive care, surgical, medical) across two hospitals.

One hospital had an infection control nurse; the other did not.

Main Results:

Hand decontamination frequency was highest in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital without an infection control nurse.
Hand hygiene technique was superior in ICUs compared to other units, irrespective of the hospital.
Approximately 50% of essential hand decontamination opportunities were missed.
Alcoholic hand-rub availability and usage correlated with better practice in the observed unit.

Conclusions:

Intensive care units demonstrate superior hand hygiene technique, suggesting specialized training or protocols are effective.
Despite improvements in technique compared to earlier reports, significant omissions in essential hand hygiene opportunities persist.
The availability and utilization of alcohol-based hand rubs are associated with improved hand hygiene practices, underscoring their importance in infection control strategies.