Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare compliance with hand hygiene between the baseline and intervention periods. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 87 health-care professionals in the intensive care units, using the direct observation method and the calculated usage of alcohol-based hand rub and liquid soap. Computer screensaver messages on hand hygiene were developed by the investigators, and distributed to all computers in the intensive care units during the intervention period. The compliance with hand hygiene by the direct observation method during the baseline period was 38.3%, and 36.4% during the intervention period (χ2=1.01, p=0.31). The amount of the calculated usage of alcohol-based hand rub and liquid soap was increased by 19.2% during the intervention period. Although there was no improvement on the compliance with hand hygiene by the direct observation method, the increase of the calculated usage of hand rub and liquid soap showed the positive effect of the intervention. There was no difference in the compliance with hand hygiene among the types of health-care professionals. During the both periods, the proportion of the hand hygiene using liquid soap and water was over 60%. The care necessity rate (t=2.94, p<0.01) and inpatient bed occupancy rate (t=49.70, p<0.01), as the indicators of workload, showed statistically significant lower value during the intervention period. As a conclusion, the intervention of the computer screensaver messages was effective to improve the compliance with hand hygiene in the intensive care units. However, from this study results, we have to educate the appropriate hand hygiene method to the health-care professionals, that is alcohol-based hand rub as the first choice, and improve the access to the alcohol-based hand rub in the intensive care units.
