Is your hospital’s hand hygiene program just going through the motions?
…Or does it provide “on the spot" correction and education?
According to an article recently published by The Joint Commission, lack of “just in time” correction and education is one of the top contributing factors to healthcare workers (HCWs) not performing hand hygiene. (2)
Though it has shown significant positive impact on HCWs, “on the spot” interventions are missing from many hospital hygiene programs. (4)
So why is it that hospitals choose not to implement this method as part of their programs?
Some of these reasons include:
- Lack of available staff
- Perception of lack of resources
- Staff reluctancy to scrutinize and correct peers or supervisors
- A hospital culture that does not permit peer correction - seeing it as punitive rather than a collaborative effort to improve safety
If hand washing is the most immediate way to prevent the spread of hospital associated infection (3) and lack of “on the spot” coaching is one of the top reasons why healthcare workers do not wash hands (2), doesn’t it make sense to give “real time” coaching serious consideration?
Sources
(1) Ellingson, K., Haas, J. P., Aiello, A. E., Kusek, L., Maragakis, L. L., Olmsted, R. N., & ... Yokoe, D. S. (2014). Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 35(8), 937-960. doi:10.1086/677145 http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/677145
(2) Improving Hand Hygiene at Eight Hospitals in the United States by Targeting Specific Causes of Noncompliance. (2015). The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 41(1), 4-12. Retrieved August 7, 2015, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25976719/
(3) Mathai, E., Allegranzi, B., Seto, W., Chraïti, M., Sax, H., Larson, E., & Pittet, D. (2010). Educating healthcare workers to optimal hand hygiene practices: addressing the need. Infection, 38(5), 349-356. doi:10.1007/s15010-010-0047-7
(4) Lowry, F. (2015, July 2). On-the-Spot Intervention Improves Hand-Hygiene Practices. Retrieved August 9, 2015, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/847425