Healthcare workers in Maryland's 44 acute-care hospitals have washed their hands at least 90 percent of the time in the past six months, according to a Baltimore Business Journal report.
Reaching 90 percent compliance is a big step toward achieving the state goal of lowering of the statewide hospital-acquired infection rate by 30 percent in the next five years. The state set this goal with the CMS to set its own hospital rates, according to the report.
"Insufficient hand hygiene is one of the biggest contributors to contracting infections, making this a critical achievement," Robert Imhof, president and CEO of the Maryland Patient Safety Center, told the Baltimore Business Journal.
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