부산대학교 도서관

Hand hygiene is the most effective method for preventing health-care-associated infections and the spread of pollutants in hospital wards. In June 2022, our audit revealed a hand hygiene compliance rate of only 50.2% in the targeted nursing ward. This finding served as a catalyst, fueling our determination to develop effective strategies for improving the hand hygiene compliance of our nursing staff. Through data analyses and interviews with nursing team members, we identified major factors responsible for the low hygiene compliance rate. These included an absence of attention-grabbing reminders, inadequate awareness of the critical importance of hand hygiene, time constraints due to heavy workloads, the discomfort associated with frequent hand-washing, and inconvenient placement of hand hygiene equipment. The aim of the project reported herein was to increase the hand hygiene compliance rate to over 90.5% by establishing effective strategies. First, we provided nursing staff education to emphasize the importance of hand hygiene for preventing the spread of nosocomial infection. In addition, we introduced attention-grabbing reminders and hand hygiene posters to the project-targeted nursing ward. Sufficient hand hygiene equipment and moisturizing skincare products were provided to promote hand hygiene compliance. These measures effectively increased the hand hygiene compliance rate from 50.2% to 91.3%. Here, we share our experience of enhancing the hand hygiene compliance rate for the reference of other institutions. Our effective strategies can facilitate the creation of a safer nursing environment and improve the quality of care for inpatients.