Major articleHand hygiene in pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit patients: Daily opportunities and indication- and profession-specific analyses of compliance
Section snippets
Hospital setting
This study was performed at the University Hospital Aachen, a tertiary care center, in 2009. A pediatric and neonatal ICU with 19 beds participated. Written protocols on hand hygiene had been implemented, trainings on hand hygiene had been carried out on a regular basis, and the equipment with disinfectant dispensers was sufficient.
Patients
Patients were divided into 2 groups: The pediatric ICU (PICU) patient group consisting of PICU patients with a high number of post open heart surgery patients and
Results
During the 192-hour observation period, a total of 2,060 hand hygiene opportunities was documented, with 1,284 for PICU patients and with 776 for NICU patients, respectively. The number of daily opportunities was significantly higher for the PICU group with 321/patient-days than for the NICU group with 194/patient-days (P = .02; RS). Daily hand hygiene activities were significant higher in PICU patients than in NICU patients with 170 performed hand rubs per PICU patient-days versus 118
Discussion
Pediatric patients and neonates on ICUs may have different care requirements in comparison with adults, potentially resulting in different daily opportunities for hand hygiene. However, there were no previous data for these patient groups that investigated whole day activities. Previously published studies on adult patients reported 589 contacts during a 40-hour observation period on 2 different ICUs; however, this group did not picture the work flow over a complete day nor did they
References (31)
- et al.
Considerations for a WHO European strategy on healthcare-associated infection, surveillance, and control
Lancet Infect Dis
(2005) Nosocomial infections in adult intensive care units
Lancet
(2003)- et al.
The Hospital Infection Standardised Surveillance (HISS) programme: analysis of a two-year pilot
J Hosp Infect
(2003) Health care-associated infections in the neonatal intensive care unit
Am J Infect Control
(2005)- et al.
Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene
Lancet
(2000) - et al.
Role of hand hygiene in healthcare-associated infection prevention
J Hosp Infect
(2009) - et al.
Nosocomial outbreak of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in neonates: epidemiological investigation and control
J Hosp Infect
(2005) - et al.
Hand-hygiene compliance in healthcare workers
J Hosp Infect
(2006) - et al.
Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care
J Hosp Infect
(2008) - et al.
An examination of covert observation and solution audit as tools to measure the success of hand hygiene interventions
Am J Infect Control
(2006)
Rates of hand disinfection associated with glove use, patient isolation, and changes between exposure to various body sites
Am J Infect Control
How much time is needed for hand hygiene in intensive care? A prospective trained observer study of rates of contact between healthcare workers and intensive care patients
J Hosp Infect
Behavioural considerations for hand hygiene practices: the basic building blocks
J Hosp Infect
Nosocomial infection, length of stay, and time-dependent bias
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
Estimating health care-associated infections and deaths in US hospitals, 2002
Public Health Rep
Cited by (51)
Effects of implementation of healthcare associated infection surveillance and interventional measures in the neonatal intensive care unit: Small steps matter
2023, Indian Journal of Medical MicrobiologyQuantification of diurnal variation in “glove hygiene” compliance in COVID ICUs: An exploratory study
2023, American Journal of Infection ControlThe power of feedback: Implementing a comprehensive hand hygiene observer program
2023, American Journal of Infection ControlHand hygiene compliance by direct observation in physicians and nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2022, Journal of Hospital InfectionPaediatric nurses’, children's and parents’ adherence to infection prevention and control and knowledge of antimicrobial stewardship: A systematic review
2021, American Journal of Infection ControlEvolution and associated factors of hand hygiene compliance in a pediatric tertiary hospital
2020, American Journal of Infection Control
Supported in part by a restricted grant from Bode Chemie GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.
Conflicts of interest: All authors disclose receipt of financial and/or material support from an organization that may either gain or lose financially from the results or conclusions of this study or invited editorial.