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Differences in Hand Hygiene Behavior Related to the Contamination Risk of Healthcare Activities in Different Groups of Healthcare Workers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Constanze Wendt ,
Donald Knautz  and
Heike von Baum
Constanze Wendt*
Affiliation:
Hygiene-Institut der Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Donald Knautz
Affiliation:
Institut für Hygiene und Infektionsschutz, Landau, Germany
Heike von Baum
Affiliation:
Sektion Klinikhygiene, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany
*
Hygiene Institut, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Abstract

Background:

The Fulkerson scale lists 15 typical clinical activities ranked according to their risk of hand contamination.

Objective:

To investigate how often healthcare workers (HCWs) apply antiseptic handrubs after each of the specified activities ranked in the Fulkerson scale.

Design:

Observational study.

Setting:

University Hospital of Heidelberg, a 1,600-bed teaching hospital.

Methods:

Using a structured protocol, 41 observers recorded whether HCWs rubbed their hands in 1 of 15 given situations.

Results:

Handrubs were used in 1,115 (52.2%) of 2,138 observations. Comparatively high rates of handrub use were observed after contact with sterile materials (39.6%) and after contact with excretions (90% to 97%). Nurses used handrubs significantly more frequently than did physicians after contact with the inanimate environment, but physicians applied handrubs significantly more frequently after contact with body secretions.

Conclusions:

This study showed better compliance with hand hygiene than that reported by many previous studies, but compliance was still inadequate and varied significantly by type of HCW, type of activity, and location in the hospital.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , March 2004 , pp. 203 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2004

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