Compliance Rate of Hand Hygiene after the Introduction of Portable Hand Sanitizers and Education of Hand Hygiene

Abstract

  Changes in the compliance rate of hand hygiene were evaluated after ICU (Intensive Care Unit) nurses were given portable hand sanitizers and were educated about hand hygiene.The hand hygiene behaviors for a total of 16 ICU nurses at a tertiary emergency care center were evaluated by the constructive observation method. How nurses washed their hands and how many times they washed their hands were compared before and after the introduction of portable hand sanitizers, and the results showed that the nurses needed to wash their hands about 26 times an hour. The nurses rubbed their hands more often, and in fact, the compliance rate of hand hygiene improved about 27%. However, after the introduction of portable hand sanitizers, the number of nurses who did not wash their hands with soap and water increased by 25%. Also, the compliance rate decreased after the introduction of portable hand sanitizers in 12.5% of the nurses, and these nurses washed their hands with soap and water less. The compliance rate of hand hygiene tended to be low for nurses with less nursing experience. After the introduction of portable hand sanitizers, the compliance rate of hand hygiene for different types of nursing care improved, but the compliance rate of hand hygiene after touching ME (Medical Equipment) and instruments around patients was low. Therefore, hand hygiene education must consider the background factors and care responsibilities of ICU nurses. Hand hygiene after touching ME and instruments around patients is thought to be an important step for preventing contact infection in the ICU.