Effect of comprehensive medical goal appraisal on hand hygiene compli-ance rate of health care workers / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To evaluate the comprehensive medical goal appraisal system on hand hygiene compliance rate of health care workers(HCWs).Methods Comprehensive medical goal appraisal system was adopted to inter-vene hand hygiene compliance rate of HCWs in a comprehensive hospital ,hand hygiene compliance rates of HCWs and consumption of instant hand sanitizer per bed-day before (December 2012)and after intervention (January 2013-June 2014)were compared.Results Hand hygiene compliance rate after intervention was higher than before interven-tion (85.17% [18 208/21 379]vs 39.92%[853/2 137]),hand hygiene compliance rate enhanced by 113.35%(χ2 =2 590. 81,P 90%),consumption of instant hand sanitizer before and after intervention was 7.24 mL/bed-day(4 200 L/579 841 bed-day)and 10.54 mL/bed-day(9 323.5L/884 489 bed-day)respectively,the consumption after intervention increased by 45.58% compared with that before intervention. Conclusion Comprehensive medical goal appraisal can effectively enhance hand hygiene compliance rate ,and maintains at a high level;the measure can affect hand hygiene behavior of HCWs by hawthorne effect,and is an effective and long-term measure to improve hand hygiene compliance of HCWs.

The Hawthorne Effect between Covert and Overt Observations in the Monitoring of Hand Hygiene Adherence among Healthcare Personnel at Coronary Care Unit and Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit / 병원감염관리

BACKGROUND: Direct observation of healthcare workers is commonly used in hospitals to investigate hand hygiene compliance. However, the hand hygiene compliance rate may increase due to the Hawthorne effect, which is the modification of behavior simply because subjects become aware that they are being observed. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of the Hawthorne effect when directly observing hand hygiene compliance in intensive care unit (ICU) healthcare personnel. METHODS: A total of 87 staff members from the coronary care unit and cardiac surgery ICU of a general hospital in Seoul were included in this study: 24 residents and interns, 55 nurses, and 8 nursing assistants. Both covert and overt observations, where subjects were either unaware or aware of any direct observation, were performed on separate occasions. RESULTS: A total of 1,052 covert and 1,336 overt observations were documented over 30 and 34 occasions, respectively. Overall hand hygiene compliance was significantly higher with overt observation than with covert observation (1,041/1,336, 77.9% vs. 659/1,052, 62.6%, P<0.001). The Hawthorne effect was present in all professions and behaviors, with the exception of nursing assistants, and prior to touching a patient. CONCLUSION: Direct observation of hand hygiene compliance was associated with the Hawthorne effect when observations were made overtly and this was likely to contribute to an overestimation of compliance rate.

Psychiatric Applications of Placebos / 대한정신약물학회지

As the placebo effect is inevitable in almost all types of treatment implemented in the context of the doctor-patient relationship, it would be a wise strategy to try to enhance the treatment effect by understanding its mechanism and applying it clinically. However, for various reasons there is resistance to therapeutical application of placebos. The main reason for this resistance comes from the confusion about the concept of the placebo, and it is necessary to differentiate the placebo response and the placebo effect and understand them clearly. Meta-analytical reviews of clinical studies showed that the placebo effect accounts for part of clinical effect of drugs. Authors reviewed meta-analytic studies dealing with the placebo effect on depression, sleep disorders, dementia, anxiety and addiction. In addition, we discussed the current state of placebo use and also the way to promote the placebo effect.