Hand Hygiene Essay

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Allison McGeer /Partnerships for Health System Improvement/Implementing Effective Hand Hygiene Programs in Healthcare 1. WHAT ISSUE DOES THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ADDRESS WITHIN THE ELIGIBLE RESEARCH THEME AREA? This proposal focuses on thematic area 4: “managing for quality and safety (including issues related to infections acquired in hospitals)”. Hospital-acquired infections are the most common serious complication of hospitalization, and the fourth leading cause of death among Canadians (1). Hand hygiene, defined as the act of washing one’s hands with soap and water, or disinfecting them with an antiseptic agent, has been recognized for more than 150 years as the single most effective and cost-effective means of preventing hospital acquired infection, as well as an effective means of preventing illness in the community that may lead to hospitalization (2-5). Despite this, many studies have documented that compliance with hand hygiene recommendations in healthcare settings is consistently less than 50% (2,6-10). Intensive education programs have been associated with modest improvements in hand hygiene and dramatic reductions in rates of hospital-acquired infections (11-18). However, few programs have documented continuing success. The aim of this proposal is to provide guidance to decision makers throughout the health care system in facilitating the development of successful hand hygiene programs, and thus in reducing morbidity and mortality from hospital-acquired infection. 2. WHAT ARE THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES? Overall objective To provide decision-makers in health care with the understanding and tools necessary for the development and successful implementation of hand hygiene improvement programs in health care. Specific objectives 1. To understand the barriers (structural, organizational, cognitive and social) to hand hygiene adherence,

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