Our objective was to assess compliance with hand hygiene over time utilizing a multifaceted approach to hand hygiene. In addition, we assessed the rate of device-associated infections.
This is a descriptive time series study with a multitude of interventions from October 2006 to December 2011 set in a 350-bed community hospital in Saudi Arabia. We utilized a multimodal program to promote hand hygiene activities. We also calculated device-associated infection rates as outcome measures.
Over the study, the overall hand hygiene compliance rate increased from a baseline of 38 % in second quarter 2006 to 65 % in 2010 and then to 85 % in 2011 (P?<?.001). The compliance rates increased among all professions and different hospital units. The compliance rates were 87 % for physicians, 89 % for nursing staff, and 93 % for nutritionist. The rate of health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus per 1,000 patient-days decreased from 0.42 in 2006 to 0.08 in 2011. Ventilator-associated infection rates decreased from 6.12 to 0.78, central line-associated bloodstream infections rates decreased from 8.23 to 4.8, and catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates decreased from 7.08 to 3.5.
This intervention used a multitude of interventions and resulted in an institution-wide increase and sustained improvement in compliance rates.