Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene

Abstract

Previously published guidelines provide comprehensive recommendations for hand hygiene in healthcare facilities. The intent of this document is to highlight practical recommendations in a concise format, update recommendations with the most current scientific evidence, and elucidate topics that warrant clarification or more robust research. Additionally, this document is designed to assist healthcare facilities in implementing hand hygiene adherence improvement programs, including efforts to optimize hand hygiene product use, monitor and report back hand hygiene adherence data, and promote behavior change. This expert guidance document is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise. The list of endorsing and supporting organizations is presented in the introduction to the 2014 updates.

A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Updates

“…The major aim of the original documents published in 2008 and the 2014 Compendium updates [15][16][17][18][19][20][21] is to provide acute care hospitals with up-to-date, practical, relatively concise expert guidance to assist in prioritizing and implementing HAI prevention efforts. These articles are the products of a highly collaborative effort led by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise, including the CDC, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM), and the Surgical Infection Society (SIS).…”

Hospital Microbiomics: Benchmarking from the First Longitudinal Study of Microbiome Dynamics among Patient, Staff and Hospital Habitats

“…Their confirmation of human microbial communities on and between frequently-contacted surfaces is notable because such habitats (hands, bedrail, faucet) continue to function actively in microbial transfer between patient, staff and common surfaces even though the hospital-controlled habitats are cleaned and disinfected regularly, the benefit of hand hygiene has been known for many years, 17,18 and many efforts have tried to improve compliance remarkably found to be low as 40%. 19,20 These findings underscore a necessity for any facility concerned with contamination control to periodically reassess the role and dynamics of microbial transmission so as to reaffirm policies, procedures, and practices with frequent monitoring for compliance. Regarding methodology, the study certainly provides baseline information for their follow-on studies, and more generally is suitable for drafting benchmark procedures useful in similar or related studies for other health-related settings that require contamination control, such as the pharmaceuticals and aerospace industries.…”

The Impact of Isolation Precautions on Hand Hygiene Frequency by Healthcare Workers

“…1,2 Isolation precautions are used to reduce the risk of transmission of pathogens from known or unknown sources and to reduce the risk of direct contact with secretions or bodily fluids of patients with suspected or confirmed transmissible infections or contact with contaminated objects in the patient's environment. 3,4 This study evaluated the frequency of HH episodes among multidisciplinary team members in rooms of patients with and without isolation precautions located in 3 step-down units (SDUs).…”

“…1 Nevertheless, uptake of HIV PEP is acknowledged to be insufficient, with <60% of the individuals who started PEP treatment finishing the full course. 2 It is important to determine why HIV PEP adherence remains a challenge across different populations, settings, and exposures.…”