A study by the Department of Health demonstrated that patients with one or more such infections in trauma and orthopaedics incurred costs which were 2.6 times greater than those for uninfected patients. 2- 3 The financial implications of health care associated infections are large. A higher prevalence of MRSA infection has been reported in trauma and orthopaedic departments compared with the general hospital. 1 In the United Kingdom and other developed countries, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a significant health care associated and surgical site infection (SSI). 1 Factors independently associated with such infections include age > 65 years, emergency or intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital stay > seven days, insertion of invasive devices, surgery, immunosuppression and impaired functional or coma status. Health care associated infections are considered to be a significant health burden and safety issue throughout the world. We recommend caution in the universal adoption of the WHO ‘5 moments of hand hygiene’ by orthopaedic surgeons and other health care workers and emphasise the need for evidence-based principles when adopting hospital guidelines aimed at promoting excellence in clinical practice. Consensus-based guidelines based on weak scientific foundations should be assessed carefully to prevent shifting the clinical focus from more important issues and to direct limited resources more effectively. We found no strong scientific support for this regime of hand hygiene as a means of reducing health care associated infections. Our review analyses the scientific foundation for the five moments of hand hygiene and explores the evidence, as referenced by WHO, to support these recommendations. Many NHS trusts in England adopted this model of hand hygiene, which prompts health care workers to clean their hands at five distinct stages of caring for the patient. Read our whitepaper to learn how BioVigil can improve hand hygiene compliance and awareness.The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the first Global Patient Safety Challenge in 2005 and introduced the ‘5 moments of hand hygiene’ in 2009 in an attempt to reduce the burden of health care associated infections. Is your hospital missing any of the 5 WHO hand hygiene moments or recording only three digits worth of hand hygiene events per day? Electronic hand hygiene monitoring can help you with those challenges. That is a significant increase in the amount of WHO hand hygiene moments accounted for, with substantially lowered risks of patient infections. With an electronic hand hygiene monitoring solution like BioVigil, recorded hand hygiene events increase to 20,000 a day or 5.8 million a year. The proof is in the numbers: with direct observation, a hospital might record 200 hand hygiene events a day or 2,400 a year.

This creates holistic hand hygiene compliance that is backed by client data and outcomes. BioVigil supports all 5 WHO moments by prompting hand hygiene at every room entry/exit and by capturing all in-room hand hygiene events. Monitoring hand hygieneĮlectronic hand hygiene monitoring is a proven solution in ensuring that proper hand hygiene is being performed when necessary. However, it is understood now that direct observation is not reliable due to the Hawthorne effect and limitations on how accurately humans can collect this type of data. HAIs are so plentiful that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) created an HAC reduction program.ĭirect observation was originally thought of to be the “gold standard to monitor compliance with optimal hand hygiene practice” 1 regarding the 5 WHO moments. Most HAIs are avoidable, but they still occur due to lack of hand hygiene compliance-leaving the respective hospitals to pay for the consequences. HAIs not only threaten patient and staff safety, but they can cost hospitals tens of thousands of dollars per case. This guide was created with the knowledge that proper hand hygiene is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infection, specifically, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). Why are the 5 moments of hand hygiene important? These moments highlight that healthcare professionals should wash their hands: What are the 5 moments of hand hygiene?

1 By accounting for every instance microbial transmission may occur and framing them to five fundamental points, this set of practices is both extensive and practical. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified “ 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” that are still considered today as the ultimate model for hand hygiene protocols.