The global hand-sanitizing relay: promoting hand hygiene through innovation

E Tartari; D Pires; F Bellissimo-Rodrigues; M De Kraker; T-H Borzykowski; B Allegranzi; D Pittet

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2016.11.003

The global hand-sanitizing relay: promoting hand hygiene through innovation

J Hosp Infect. 2017 Feb;95(2):189-193. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2016.11.003. Epub 2016 Nov 17.

Authors

E Tartari¹, D Pires², F Bellissimo-Rodrigues³, M De Kraker³, T-H Borzykowski³, B Allegranzi⁴, D Pittet⁵

Affiliations

¹ Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety - Infection Control & Improving Practices, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland; WHO Infection Prevention and Control Global Unit, Geneva, Switzerland; Infection Control Unit, Mater dei Hospital, Msida, Malta.
² Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety - Infection Control & Improving Practices, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
³ Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety - Infection Control & Improving Practices, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ WHO Infection Prevention and Control Global Unit, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety - Infection Control & Improving Practices, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 28081910
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2016.11.003

Abstract

On the 10^th anniversary of the 'Clean Care is Safer Care' programme, the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety launched the 'Global Hand Sanitizing Relay 2015' (HSRelay). This hospital-wide activity promotes the WHO handrubbing technique to improve hand hygiene (HH) compliance. More than 15,000 healthcare workers (HCWs) from 133 hospitals in 43 countries participated. Between May and September 2015, 14 hospitals submitted pre- and post-event HH compliance data; 57% (8/14) reported a significant increase while others showed minimal or no improvement (average absolute change 9.4%). The HSRelay demonstrated that HCWs were interested in novel strategies to improve HH compliance.

Keywords: Alcohol-based hand rub; Behavioural change; Guinness World Record; Hand hygiene; Handrubbing; Patient safety.

MeSH terms

Cross Infection / prevention & control*
Guideline Adherence*
Hand Hygiene / methods*
Humans
Infection Control / methods*
World Health Organization