Evidence Based Practice
basedInfection (2010) 38:349–356 DOI 10.1007/s15010-010-0047-7
REVIEW
Educating healthcare workers to optimal hand hygiene practices: addressing the need
¨ E. Mathai • B. Allegranzi • W. H. Seto • M.-N. Chraıti H. Sax • E. Larson • D. Pittet
•
Received: 14 May 2010 / Accepted: 14 July 2010 / Published online: 21 September 2010 Ó Urban & Vogel 2010
Abstract The education of healthcare workers is essential to improve practices and is an integral part of hand hygiene promotional strategies. According to the evidence reviewed here, healthcare worker education has a positive impact on improving hand hygiene and reducing healthcare-associated infection. Detailed practical guidance on steps for the organization of education programmes in healthcare facilities and teaching–learning strategies are provided using the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health Care as the basis for recommendations. Several key elements for a successful educational programme are also identified. A particular emphasis is placed on concepts included in the tools
developed by WHO for education, monitoring and performance feedback. Keywords Healthcare workers Á Hand hygiene Á Healthcare-associated infection Á WHO recommendations Á Educational programmes Á Behavioural change
Introduction Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure to prevent the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens. Several studies have shown that ensuring sustained compliance with this very simple task is a constant challenge for healthcare workers (HCWs), even in settings without any resource constraints. The attitudes and behaviour of different professional groups significantly affect hand hygiene compliance [1–6], and interventions to motivate behavioural changes are of critical importance in bringing about improvement. Appropriately, most successful hand hygiene promotional strategies in health care have been multimodal and focused primarily on activities that
REVIEW
Educating healthcare workers to optimal hand hygiene practices: addressing the need
¨ E. Mathai • B. Allegranzi • W. H. Seto • M.-N. Chraıti H. Sax • E. Larson • D. Pittet
•
Received: 14 May 2010 / Accepted: 14 July 2010 / Published online: 21 September 2010 Ó Urban & Vogel 2010
Abstract The education of healthcare workers is essential to improve practices and is an integral part of hand hygiene promotional strategies. According to the evidence reviewed here, healthcare worker education has a positive impact on improving hand hygiene and reducing healthcare-associated infection. Detailed practical guidance on steps for the organization of education programmes in healthcare facilities and teaching–learning strategies are provided using the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Health Care as the basis for recommendations. Several key elements for a successful educational programme are also identified. A particular emphasis is placed on concepts included in the tools
developed by WHO for education, monitoring and performance feedback. Keywords Healthcare workers Á Hand hygiene Á Healthcare-associated infection Á WHO recommendations Á Educational programmes Á Behavioural change
Introduction Hand hygiene is the single most effective measure to prevent the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens. Several studies have shown that ensuring sustained compliance with this very simple task is a constant challenge for healthcare workers (HCWs), even in settings without any resource constraints. The attitudes and behaviour of different professional groups significantly affect hand hygiene compliance [1–6], and interventions to motivate behavioural changes are of critical importance in bringing about improvement. Appropriately, most successful hand hygiene promotional strategies in health care have been multimodal and focused primarily on activities that