Disinfection of the Radiologist Workstation and Radiologist Hand Hygiene: A Single Institution Practice Quality Improvement Project

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the workstation disinfection rates and hand hygiene of radiologists and trainees at shared departmental workstations and assess the impact of education and reminder placards on daily habits. MethodsA 10-question survey was administered to all staff radiologists, fellows, and residents at our institution. The questions pertained to workstation disinfection, hand hygiene habits, and accessibility to disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer stations. Subsequently, a short educational PowerPoint presentation was emailed to the department and small reminder placards were placed at each workstation. A follow-up survey was administered. Chi-square and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to analyse the results. ResultsThe percentage of participants who disinfect their workstations 1-2 times/week, 3-4 times/week or everyday increased from 53.4% (45 of 84 participants) to 74.3% (55 of 74 participants; P = .01), while the number who disinfect their workstation <1 time/week or never decreased from 46.4% (39 of 84 participants) to 25.7% (19 of 74 participants; P = .01). Hand washing before working at the workstation increased from 41.6% (35 of 84 participants) to 48.7% (36 of 74 participants; P = .76) and hand washing after working at the workstation increased from 50.0% (42 of 84 participants) to 56.8% (42 of 74 participants; P = .49). ConclusionsAt our institution, the implementation of daily reminder placards at each workstation and the administration of an educational PowerPoint presentation improved the rate of radiologist workstation disinfection.