Validation of a hand hygiene visual feedback system to improve compliance with drying time of alcohol-based hand rub in a neonatal intensive care unit: the Incubator Traffic Light system

Abstract

IntroductionCompliance with the recommended 30-second drying time of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) is often suboptimal. To increase hand hygiene compliance at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), we installed an Incubator Traffic Light (ITL) system which shows ‘green light’ to open incubator doors after the recommended drying time. This study aims to measure the impact of this visual feedback system on NICU healthcare professionals’ compliance with the recommended ABHR drying time. MethodsTen Traffic Light systems were installed on incubators at a NICU, five of which provided visual feedback, and five, serving as a control group, did not provide visual feedback. During a two-month period, the systems measured drying time between the moment of dispensing ABHR and opening the incubator’s doors. We compared the drying times of the incubators with and without feedback. ResultsOf the 6422 recorded HH events, 658 were valid for data analysis. Compliance with correct drying time reached 75% (n=397/526) for incubators equipped with visual feedback versus 36% (n= 48/132, p< 0.0001) for incubators lacking this feature. ConclusionsThe Incubator Traffic Light improves compliance with the recommended 30 sec ABHR drying time in a NICU setting.