Hand hygiene monitoring: Comparison between app and paper forms for direct observation

Abstract

Healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs) are a global public health threat. Italy is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of HAI. Hand hygiene (HH) is a pillar of infection prevention and control. Monitoring HH is necessary to improve HH compliance, and direct observation is considered the gold standard. Transcription and analysis of data collected during direct observation of HH compliance with the WHO paper form are time‐consuming. We collected, during a 9‐day observation period, HH opportunities and compliance both with a smartphone application (SpeedyAudit) and with the WHO paper form. Then, we investigated the difference in the required time for data transcription and analysis between the WHO paper form and the use of the app. The difference in the required time for data transcription and analysis was significant with a mean time of 2 s using the app and about 14–54 min/day using paper form ( p = .004) while no significant difference was found in measured compliance rates between the two data collecting methods. HH monitoring with an app is time‐saving, and the app we used was easy to use.

Hip prosthesis and colon surgery, a decade of surveillance on surgical site infections in Italy, a prospective cohort study: rates, trends, and disease burden in DALYs

“…The implementation of IPC guidelines and the use of checklists during surgical procedures may have helped to prevent infections and improve patient outcomes. Bundle approaches combining multiple measures have also been developed and recommended in our region to enhance the effectiveness of IPC strategies [ 8 , 21 – 24 ].…”