Major articleQuantification of anesthesia providers' hand hygiene in a busy metropolitan operating room: What would Semmelweis think?
Section snippets
Methods
Following institutional approval by the Committee for Protection of Human Subjects at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, 5 observers trained to use a WHO HH observation form and assessment inventory and masquerading as surgical nurses undergoing routine employee orientation to the operating room (OR), were randomly placed in various perioperative areas over the course of a 4-week period. The observers were savvy about the OR milieu (all were RNs not employed by the institution)
Results
Over the course of the 4-week period, 7,976 HH opportunities among the anesthesia providers actively engaged in clinical practice were observed, recorded, and electronically archived. Likewise, missed opportunities for HH were observed, recorded, and electronically archived.
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The overall failure of HH ranged from 64% to 93% by provider group with a mean aggregate failure rate of 82%.
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Depending on the phase of the procedure (induction, maintenance, emergence), we found indications occurring for HH
Discussion
Other researchers in multiple disciplines have demonstrated a significant failure rate in HH among health care workers using observational approaches that are likely to significantly influence provider behavior. The current study is unique in that it quantified the HH behaviors of anesthesia providers in a busy operating room in a large, metropolitan medical center using observers who were embedded in the operating room with easy visual access of the anesthesia providers throughout the
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Conflicts of interest: None to report.