Use of electronic alerts to enhance hand hygiene compliance and decrease transmission of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus in a hematology unit

Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene

“…74 Sensor networks are designed to sense when HCP enter a patient care area, such as a room or bedside; detect when hand hygiene is performed; and, if hand hygiene is not performed, remind the healthcare worker to do so. 75 Older networks used light beams and motion sensors 76 along with audible tones, 77 worded voice prompts, 76,78 or flashing lights 77 to remind HCP to clean their hands. Sensors installed at a hospital ward entrance provided an audible reminder for visitors and staff when triggered via motion sensor; overall hand hygiene adherence at the threshold of the unit rose from 7.6% to 49.9% 79 when this system was in use.…”

Embedded System for Hygiene Compliance Monitoring

“…Unfortunately, this approach has a limited value as the records of hand cleansing actions are provided unrelated to the caregiver's location and activity. Venkatesh et al [5] and Swoboda et al [6] evaluated an electronic prompting system that used light beams and motion detectors at the threshold of each room in a surgical unit. The system had visual and voice prompting function instructing the individuals to wash their hands if they had not done so before entering or after exiting the room The system could work only with stationary dispensers, did not record individual performance data and could not provide a prompting signal in a multipatient environment when a caregiver moves from one patient to another.…”

Hand Hygiene

“…699,710,852,986 Systems that are even able to identify HCWs when using a sink or a handrub dispenser are under development. These methods allow precise quantitative results on hand hygiene activity to be obtained, with the only costs being the installation and maintenance of the system.…”

“…Why should hand hygiene advocacy not also profit from this evolution and continue to assimilate new concepts of marketing as they are developed by the industry? 60,429,469,493,648,651,684,705,709,851,852,858 Make alcohol-based handrub available 60,140,429,485,486,494,645,686,687,698,701,707,714,717,718,855,856 Make water and soap continuously available 633,659 Install voice prompts 699,710,852,853 2. Hand hygiene education 60,140,334,429,648,651,666,676,684,686,687,698,705,…”

“…60,217,334,429,485,486,613,648,651,663,666,667,670,680,682,684,686,687,713,714,803,804,851,852 Recent studies have further enriched the scientific literature. 140,428,493,494,655,657,694,698,699,701,705,[707][708][709][710][715][716][717][718]728,853 In general, most studies differed greatly in their duration and intervention approach. Moreover, the outcome measure of hand hygiene compliance varied in terms of the definition of a hand hygiene opportunity and assessment of hand hygiene by means of direct observation 60,217,…”