A study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, examined whether patient hand hygiene affected incidence of Clostridium difficile infection in a hospital setting.
Researchers used patient surveys to analyze patient hand hygiene practices. They determined the effect of hand hygiene practices on C. diff by following healthcare facility-onset CD laboratory-identified events data analyzed using National Healthcare Safety Network standardized infection ratios.
The study shows patient hand hygiene opportunities improved significantly after staff and patient education. C. diff standardized infection ratios decreased significantly for 6 months after a hand hygiene intervention.
"[Patient hand hygiene] should be considered a relevant preventative measure for CDI in hospitalized patients," study authors concluded.
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