Here are five recent stories and studies on hand hygiene compiled by Becker's Hospital Review and Becker's ASC Review, starting with the most recent.
1. A fist bump, instead of a handshake, may reduce the rate of bacterial transmission as three times less surface area is exposed and contact time is 2.7 times less with a fist bump than a handshake, according to a study in the Journal of Hospital Infection.
2. Washing hands before wearing nonsterile gloves does not decrease the bacterial count on the gloves, making that step unnecessary, according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control.
3. A survey by DebMed shows only 30 percent of healthcare professionals follow the World Health Organization's "My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene" guidelines even though 90 percent believe the guidelines present good practices.
4. Didier Pittet, MD, director of the infection control program and the Collaborating Center for Patient Safety at the WHO, was the head of the team developing "My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene." He offers five tips on improving hand hygiene compliance.
5. The IntelligentM Smartband is worn on the wrist and communicates with hand sanitation devices, tracking the hand hygiene actions of healthcare professionals. In the event a professional does not comply with hand hygiene protocol, the Smartband will vibrate three times to remind the provider to wash his or her hands.
Additionally, here are ten free Patient Safety Tools on hand hygiene that can be downloaded for use in your facility.
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