Survey of EMS Personnel Reveals Lackluster Hand Hygiene Practices
Researcher Josh Bucher, MD, of the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., and colleagues, conducted a survey of emergency medical service (EMS) responders that revealed just 13 percent reported washing their hands before coming in contact with patients.
The study, "Emergency Medical Service Provider Hand Washing Practices" (poster #122), presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), held Oct. 14-17 in Seattle, also found that 52 percent of the survey respondents said that they wear gloves for every patient contact. Only 33 percent of emergency medical providers said they cleaned their hands after performing invasive procedures, and only 13 percent of respondents said they cleaned their stethoscope between patients.
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Source: American College of Emergency Physicians
Direct Gloving vs Hand Hygiene Before Donning Gloves: A Hospital Infection Control Study
November 20th 2023Read about a cluster randomized clinical trial that found that direct gloving without prior hand hygiene significantly improved infection prevention practice adherence among health care personnel.
