An electronic monitoring system can accurately measure hand hygiene compliance, according to a study in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.
Researchers validated an electronic monitoring system for hand hygiene compliance, which was defined by the World Health Organization's "Five Moments of Hand Hygiene." The electronic monitoring system captured the number of soap and sanitizer dispenser activations, which was compared with the number of hand hygiene opportunities to yield a compliance rate.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
The number of hand hygiene opportunities was measured in two ways: Observing 24-hour video surveillance of a medical unit over 15 months and using a previously developed algorithm of predicted hand hygiene opportunities.
The algorithm and electronic system predicted a hand hygiene compliance rate of 65 percent to 71 percent. The actual compliance rate, as measured from video surveillance, was 66 percent to 75 percent, which correlated with the algorithm's prediction. In contrast, direct observation measured a compliance rate of 92 percent to 99 percent, possibly due to the Hawthorne Effect, in which people act differently when under observation, according to the study.
The authors concluded, "We believe that electronic monitoring using the 5-Moments method provides the most accurate and actionable HH compliance data."
More Articles on Hand Hygiene:
Study: Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring Boosts Compliance Rates 92%
Making Hand Hygiene Personal: Caregiver-Specific Data to Improve Compliance
Eliminating Inaccuracy and Unreliability in Hand Hygiene Monitoring: Moving to Electronic Systems to Improve Patient Safety
