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- Title
Improving hand hygiene compliance by changing safety culture in an academic medical center.
- Authors
Phelps, M. Eleanor; Reed, W. Gary
- Abstract
Background: Healthcare-associated infections are often transmitted by the contaminated hands of healthcare workers. When non-conformance to hand hygiene practices are unaddressed, patient safety is at risk. Many characteristics of academic medical centers (AMCs) contribute to the reluctance of staff to speak up. The aim of this project was to improve hand hygiene compliance by transforming the culture at an AMC. Methods: This project involved staff and leaders from multiple disciplines and various levels within the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern). Neutralizing steep authority gradients, organizational influences, and environmental factors encountered in an AMC was accomplished using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method of quality improvement, applying appropriate quality improvement tools to uncover underlying causes and factors that contribute nonconformance, and garnering the active support of the most senior organizational leaders. Results: Beginning on September 2011, the project achieved a combined system-wide average compliance rate of >95% and sustained it for 23 consecutive months as reported from data collected by infection prevention and control (IPC) "secret shoppers." Conclusion: This project empowered more members of the health care team to speak up which contributed significantly to increased compliance and transformed the organizational culture around hand hygiene.
- Subjects
TEXAS; ACADEMIC medical centers; HAND washing; HEALTH services administration; PATIENT safety; QUALITY assurance; REGULATORY approval
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Infection Control / Revue Canadienne de Prévention des Infections, 2016, Vol 31, Issue 4, p241
- ISSN
1183-5702
- Publication type
Article