Here are six articles on hand hygiene-focused studies and stories from the last month, starting with the most recent.
1. Hawthorne effect influences hand hygiene among healthcare workers, new study shows
When healthcare professionals are aware they're being observed, they're significantly more likely to comply with hand hygiene guidelines, according to a study presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
2. Award-winning hand hygiene video tracks healthcare workers' hands throughout the day
A hand hygiene video from Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center beat out parody music videos from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children's Hospital Colorado to win the sixth annual Film Festival at the 43rd Annual Conference of the APIC.
3. Body-worn hand hygiene system increases hand decontamination
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., and the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worchester discovered healthcare workers with body-worn hand hygiene systems had higher compliance rates than those who used conventional, wall-mounted hand hygiene devices in a recent study.
4. Posting gross pictures of bacteria at handwashing stations increases compliance
It turns out, disgust is a pretty good motivator for driving compliance with handwashing regulations in clinical settings. A study conducted at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit found showing workers pictures of bacterial colonies similar to those found on their skin improved hand hygiene.
5. Where is the sink? Poor location contributes to low hand hygiene compliance
Improving the location of sinks may increase hand hygiene compliance following contact with patients with Clostridium difficile infection, according to a study published in BMC Infectious Diseases.
6. English hospital releases hand hygiene rap and music video
Clinicians and administrative staff at Leicester General Hospital in the United Kingdom created a catchy hand hygiene rap to the tune of Vanilla Ice's 1990s hit, "Ice Ice Baby," according to the Leicester Mercury.