A comparison of hand hygiene compliance and attitudes of health care workers at different points of care in East Avenue Medical

Center
using the WHO Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework
Lia Rae L. Tagulinao, MD, Mabeth Costales-Taplac, MD, FPSGS, FPCS
East Avenue Medical Center

infection control measures, is therefore an effective and

ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate hand hygiene compliance and attitudes of
health care workers at different points of care in East Avenue Medical
Center.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study which utilized
the World Health Organization (WHO) Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment
Framework questionnaire among nurse supervisors and senior nurses
of the outpatient, inpatient, and emergency room departments of
East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC).
RESULTS: The outpatient department had an advanced progress
level, the inpatient ward an intermediate level, and a basic level for
the eme
emergency room. All points of care
scored poorest with Systems Change.
The institutional overall score revealed
a progress level of intermediate. The
highest institutional component
score was seen with Institutional
Safety Climate, while the lowest was
observed with Systems Change.
CONCLUSION: EAMC has an
intermediate institutional hand hygiene
level of progress, with good Institutional
C
Safety Climate. The outpatient, inpatient, and
outpatient departments have different levels of progress. Regular
assessment of hand hygiene practices is recommended to assess the
status, progress, and impart of implemented measures.
INTRODUCTION
Health care-associated infection (HCAI) is the most frequent
adverse event in health-care delivery worldwide and the most
common pathway for transmission in contaminated hands.
Maintaining adequate hand hygiene, in addition to other
critical step in preventing HCAI.
METHODOLOGY
This is a cross-sectional descriptive study which utilized the
World Health Organization (WHO) Hand Hygiene Self-
Assessment Framework questionnaire among nurse
supervisors and senior nurses of the outpatient, inpatient, and
emergency room departments of EAMC. A one-way analysis
of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to compare component and
overall scores among the outpatient, inpatient, and
emergency room departments.
eme
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
・The association between hand hygiene and infection
prevention has long been known and previously
demonstrated in a number of studies
・Not apparent in current literature is the comparison of
intra-hospital points of care with regard to hand hygiene
practices
・The following table shows the hand hygiene progress level
of EAMC as an institution, as well as for the three points of
care:
System Change was the component that scored lowest across awareness-raising about patient safety issues and hand
all points of care. This component identifies if the necessary hygiene improvement are considered a high priority at all
infrastructures are in place to allow health-care workers to levels has been established.
practice hand hygiene. Hence, recommendations can be
made according to their respective levels of progress:
OUTPATIENT (Advance)
・Encourage preferential use of ABHRs
・Draft cost-benefit analysis of system change
・Collaborate with hospital Infection Control Committee (ICC)
INPATIENT (Intermediate)
・Map resources required for hand hygiene at the point of
care in those places where it is not yet available
・Discuss and secure short-and long-term support, including
finances, for continuous product procurement
EMERGENCY ROOM (Basic)
・Inform ICC of WHO HHSAF results and obtain the mandate
to develop an action plan for improvement
・Analyze and report on current infrastructures for hand
hygiene
・Coordinate with ICC infection control link nurses to CONCLUSION
integrate and align action plan to existing infection
Systems Change seems to be an area of concern for the
control/hand hygiene policies, protocols, standard operating
emergency room, outpatient, and inpatient wards at EAMC,
procedures and care bundles
・Make the WHO Hand Hygiene Guidelines and tools which mainly involves the availability of hand hygiene prod-
available as needed ucts and management support. There seems to be good
Institutional Safety Climate, hence patient safety issues and
Institutional Safety Climate scored highest among the hand hygiene improvement are perceived to be at the
components, suggesting
sugges that an environment wherein forefront of efforts in all levels.