Compliance and adherence to hand hygiene practices for effective infection control

Abstract

Hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective way to curb the spread of healthcare-associated infections. Nonetheless, healthcare personnel encounter difficulties in adhering to WHO HH recommendations. This study aimed to investigate HH compliance and adherence after the implementation of an action plan in a municipal hospital in Moscow. An initial evaluation of HH compliance among clinical health workers was carried out in June 2022 according to the WHO HH guidelines followed by a 3-month re-audit of HH practices. The results were compared to the baseline to evaluate compliance and adherence to HH among healthcare personnel. From June to September 2022, there were 2,732 moments of contact with patients or their immediate surroundings. The HH total compliance rate significantly (p < 0.05) increased from 52.3% in June 2022 to 83.3% in September 2022 with a 75% overall total compliance rate. The profession-specific total compliance rate was highest among nurses (79.6%) and lowest among ancillary staff (69.7%). Staff were also more adherent to the before-moments compared to the after-moments of the HH guidelines. Monthly re-audits and providing feedback resulted in a significant improvement in compliance and adherence with HH guidelines after implementation of the action plan. HIGHLIGHTS After implementation of the action plan, the hand hygiene compliance rate increased from 52.3 to 83.3%.; Nurses were found to be more compliant with hand hygiene practices than doctors and ancillary workers.; Clinical staff were more adherent to hand hygiene before-moments than the after-months.; Providing feedback is essential to ensuring compliance and adherence to hand hygiene practices.;

Keywords

• hand hygiene
• healthcare personnel
• infection control
• surgical staff
• who guidelines