Handwashing Policies in Place but Monitoring Hand Hygiene Remains a Challenge

According to a new analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 99 percent of the 103 Ontario hospitals participating in a 2008 patient safety survey reported that they had a formal hand hygiene policy in place, and just more than one-third of these (38 percent) established an auditing process to ensure that proper handwashing procedures are being followed. Hand hygiene is recognized in Canada and internationally as a top patient safety priority measure in preventing the spread of infections, and auditing is a key component in ensuring observance of hand hygiene policies.

Community hospitals were the most likely facility type to have a formal mechanism in place for auditing hand hygiene practices (47 percent), followed by teaching hospitals (35 percent) and small hospitals (19 percent). Among hospitals without formal inspection procedures, more than half (59 percent) reported that one will be developed in 2008, with full implementation planned for 2009.

“In recent years, limiting the spread of hospital-acquired infection has become a major focus of patient safety campaigns across the country,” says Dr. Michael Gardam, medical director at the University Health Network in Toronto. “The results of this survey offer a rare chance to see how these campaigns are changing the culture of Ontario’s hospitals and creating a safer environment for patients.”

Many Ontario hospitals have implemented hospital infection control programs, appointing professionals with infection prevention and control training and expertise. These professionals work with an organization to prevent healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) by educating staff, planning and implementing infection control practices and evaluating existing policies and procedures. In 2008, 80 percent of hospitals reported having either a certified infection control practitioner (ICP) or a physician/doctoral professional trained in infection control as part of their infection control program. Successful programs emphasize the importance of having both, and the survey showed this was the case in 42 percent of participating hospitals.