Hand Hygiene: What happens Next?

WHO 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene

I have been thinking about hand hygiene a lot. Despite all of our efforts, we never seem to reach the highest level of compliance,

This recently published, high quality, cluster, randomized trial of hand hygiene with different levels of assessment and performance feedback underscores, in my opinion, an important point: that direct observation with assessment and feedback, even with patient participation as hand hygiene reminders, has limited impact. Overall, only modest improvements in hand hygiene were observed with enhanced feedback and patient participation.

Hand hygiene compliance monitoring via standardized observers remains the gold standard, as summarized here. This is our strategy at VCU Health.  We have observed significant improvements in hand hygiene, however, we are not yet at the desired level. If we continue to do the same things we will get the same results.      

Enter hand hygiene automated monitoring technologies.

Much like hand hygiene compliance assessment by direct observation, automated hand hygiene monitoring technologies capture the foam in/ foam out hand hygiene events. If these technologies can be deployed to scale, with consistency, reliability, goal setting and accountability, we may have a game changer on our hands, pardon the pun.
        
We are in the 2nd wave of hand hygiene technology pilot testing at VCU Health. The goal is to go 'house-wide.'

Exciting.