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Sustained High Level of Healthcare Worker Adherence With Hand Hygiene Practice Recommendations Using the Patient-as-Observer Approach in the Ambulatory Setting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2016

Rachael A. Lee ,
Gary R. Cutter ,
Janet L. Pate ,
Emily Boohaker  and
Bernard C. Camins
Rachael A. Lee*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Gary R. Cutter
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Janet L. Pate
Affiliation:
University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama
Emily Boohaker
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Bernard C. Camins
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
*
Address correspondence to Rachael A. Lee, MD, 1900 University Blvd, THT 229, Birmingham, AL 35294 (ralee@uabmc.edu).
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Abstract

We report on a quality improvement initiative for hand hygiene adherence using the patient-as-observer method in the ambulatory setting. There were 604,661 observations recorded with improvement of adherence from 88% to 95% or greater; alcohol-based hand sanitizer purchasing correlated with this increase. This sustainable method effectively ensures hand hygiene adherence.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1496–1498

Information

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 37 , Issue 12 , December 2016 , pp. 1496 - 1498
Copyright
© 2016 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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Footnotes

Presented in part: IDWeek 2015; San Diego, California; October 7–11, 2015 (Abstract 1099).

References

REFERENCES

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