Empowering health care workers with personalized data-driven feedback to boost hand hygiene compliance

BACKGROUND: Achieving high hand hygiene compliance among health care workers is a challenge, requiring effective interventions. This study investigated the impact of individualized feedback on hand hygiene compliance using an electronic monitoring system.

METHODS: A quasi-experimental intervention design with pretest-post-test was conducted in an orthopedic surgical ward. Participants served as their own controls. A 3-month baseline was followed by a 3-month intervention period. Hand hygiene events were recorded through sensors on dispensers, name tags, and near patient beds. Health care workers received weekly email feedback reports comparing their compliance with colleagues.

RESULTS: Nineteen health care workers (17 nurses, 2 doctors) were included. Hand hygiene compliance significantly improved by approximately 15% (P < .0001) across all rooms during the intervention. The most substantial improvement occurred in patient rooms (17%, P < .0001). Compliance in clean and contaminated rooms increased by 10% (P = .0068) and 5% (P = .0232). The average weekly email open rate for feedback reports was 46%.

CONCLUSIONS: Individualized feedback via email led to significant improvements in hand hygiene compliance among health care workers. The self-directed approach proved effective, and continuous exposure to the intervention showed promising results.