Hand hygiene compliance is recognized as “one of the most important ways to reduce the transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings”1 and by inference, reduces the occurrence or healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has publicized that proper hand hygiene is the single most effective method for preventing these infections, every year 2 million patients contract HAIs in the U.S. alone and approximately 99,000 die from them. Although significant effort and emphasis has been placed on hand hygiene compliance in the U.S. and abroad, rates are estimated to be 30 percent to 50 percent on average at most facilities. Healthcare providers are facing increased challenges as new requirements around mandatory reporting and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) non-reimbursement of certain healthcare-acquired conditions puts pressure on providers to implement more robust infection prevention programs to improve patient safety.
Few people outside of the infection control world realize that HAIs are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., but awareness is growing as media coverage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections continues and legislation calling for MRSA screening is being put in place. It is only a matter of time before hospitals will be asked to begin reporting on hand hygiene compliance in addition to other quality metrics. In fact, such a program of reporting hand hygiene compliance rates is being called for now in the U.K. by the Scotland National Health Service.
Studies have shown that improved hand hygiene compliance in hospitals has financial benefits in addition to improved patient safety through lower incidence of HAIs. According to data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, the average hospital charge is $31,389, while a patient with an HAI is nearly six times the cost at $185,260.2 As hospitals look to further increase hand hygiene compliance, they must take into consideration the various guidelines set forth by regulatory and advisory bodies with their specific requirements and differences. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Joint Commission (JC) recommendations focus on reducing the risk of HAIs, and encouraging patients’ active involvement in their own care. The CDC’s recommendations focus more on educating healthcare workers around improving and monitoring hand hygiene practices. The WHO has also implemented a campaign to educate healthcare workers on “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene:”3