Internal Medicine News is reporting on an intervention described in a poster session by Dr. Jeremy Pamplin of Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, presented at the Annual Congress of the Society for Critical Care Medicine. Reporter Doug Brunk reports that in a process improvement project conducted over six months in a 20-bed surgical/trauma intensive care unit, Pamplin added a question about handwashing compliance to the daily ICU checklist.

Brunk reports that Pamplin observed an increase in handwashing compliance from 69 percent to 89 percent, while the rate of central lineassociated bloodstream infections decreased from 13.7/1,000 central line days to 2.7/1,000 central line days.

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Hand Hygiene

 hand hygiene page examines the practice of hand hygiene, from the proper methods to adherence among hospital staff. Will greater recognition of hand hygiene’s importance in curbing the spread of infections translate into better adherence among hospital staff and the public? This page features videos that demonstrate exactly how to conduct hand hygiene properly, articles recapping peer-reviewed literature on the latest advances in monitoring and adherence, as well as the popular "Bug of the Month" feature. 

Handwashing Query as Part of Checklist Drives Compliance