Abstract
The primary hypothesis of this study was that a lecture on basic hygiene routines could be associated with an increase in the use of disinfectant for hand hygiene. A secondary hypothesis was that the lecture could positively affect the staff’s knowledge of and attitudes toward basic hygiene routines.A quasi-experimental design including one ward of the department of orthopedics in a Swedish university hospital was adopted.During the pre-intervention test period the consumption of hand disinfectant was measured for 30 days and a questionnaire was distributed to all staff. The hospital hygiene nurse subsequently provided a lecture on basic hygiene routines to all employees on the ward. During the post-intervention test period the hand disinfectant consumption was measured for another 30 days, and the questionnaire was distributed once again. A follow-up measurement was performed 9 months after the intervention.After the lecture on hygiene routines, the consumption of hand disinfectant increased by 93%. Nine months after the intervention, the consumption was still 21% higher than before the intervention. The result of the questionnaire showed that the employees considered themselves applying the disinfectant more thoroughly after the intervention. Some employees changed their perspective on basic hygiene routines after the lecture and stopped using watches and private clothes at work.Our findings suggest that a single education session, a hygiene lecture, could be a simple and cost-effective method to increase the use of hand disinfectant, thereby reducing the number of nosocomial infections on the wards.
Highlights
The importance of hygiene and cleanliness to limit the spread of infections has been emphasized from the days of Florence Nightingale
Our findings suggest that a single education session, a hygiene lecture, could be a simple and cost-effective method to increase the use of hand disinfectant, thereby reducing the number of nosocomial infections on the wards
To verify the consumption before the intervention, we calculated the average consumption of hand disinfectant on the ward from the storage lists
Summary
Infections acquired during hospital stay might affect up to 10% of patients in the USA [1]. In Scandinavia, there is no official registration of nosocomial infections, but a Swedish prevalence study revealed almost 10% hospital-acquired infections in hospitalized patients during 2003, 2004 and 2006 [2]. The link between hand hygiene and infection rate in hospitals is demonstrated in several studies. Improved hand hygiene (i.e. increased use of soap and water, and hand disinfectant) reduces the infection rate [3, 4]. Pittet et al describe that the prevalence of nosocomial infections among hospitalized patients decreased from 16.9% in 1994 to 9.9% in 1998. During the same time period, use of hand rub solution and compliance with hand-hygiene regimens improved from 48% to 66% among the staff [3]
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