ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hung Vuong Hospital (HVH) is a 900-bed maternity hospital in Ho-Chi-Minh-City, Vietnam. Due to low compliance, a quasi-experimental, observational study was conducted with the aim to improve hand hygiene. METHODS: A multimodal promotion strategy was established in 2010 and further developed towards ongoing, repetitive and inventive campaigns including patient participation. Hand hygiene compliance was monitored by direct observation and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) by applying standard definitions. RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2018, a total of 43,711 hand hygiene opportunities were observed. Compliance improved from 21.5% (95%CI: 20.2-22.8%) in 2010 to 75.1% (73.9-76.2%) in 2018 (incidence rate ratio, IRR , 1.10; 95%CI, 1.10-1.11). This was achieved through increasing recourse to alcohol-based hand rubbing. A total of 554,720 women were admitted to HVH during the study period for 353,919 deliveries (198,679 vaginal; 155,240 by C-section) and 257,127 surgical procedures. The HAI-incidence decreased significantly from 1.10 episodes per 1000 patient-days in 2010 to 0.45 per 1000 patient-days in 2018 (IRR 0.85; 95%CI, 0.79-0.90). Significant improvement was observed also for surgical site infections after gynaecological surgery (IRR 0.95; 95%CI, 0.92-0.99) and endometritis after abortion (IRR 0.80; 95%CI, 0.68-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: A multimodal strategy aiming at behaviour change significantly improved and sustained hand hygiene, which contributed to the reduction of healthcare-associated infections.
Subject(s)
Cross Infection/epidemiology , Endometritis/epidemiology , Guideline Adherence/statistics & numerical data , Hand Hygiene/methods , Surgical Wound Infection/epidemiology , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Endometritis/prevention & control , Female , Health Personnel , Health Promotion , Humans , Infection Control , Obstetrics , Patient Participation , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Pregnancy , Prospective Studies , Surgical Wound Infection/prevention & control , Tertiary Care Centers , Vietnam/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene compliance is the basis of infection control programs. In developing countries models to improve hand hygiene compliance to reduce healthcare acquired infections are required. The aim of this study was to determine hand hygiene compliance following an educational program in an obstetric and gynecological hospital in Vietnam. METHODS: Health care workers from neonatal intensive care, delivery suite and a surgical ward from Hung Vuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam undertook a 4-h educational program targeting hand hygiene. Compliance was monitored monthly for six months following the intervention. Hand hygiene knowledge was assessed at baseline and after six months of the study. RESULTS: There were 7124 opportunities over 370 hand hygiene recording sessions with 1531 opportunities at baseline and 1620 at 6 months following the intervention. Hand hygiene compliance increased significantly from baseline across all sites (43.6% [95% Confidence interval CI: 41.1-46.1] to 63% [95% CI: 60.6-65.3]; p < 0.0001). Health care worker hand hygiene compliance increased significantly after intervention (p < 0.0001). There were significant improvements in knowledge scores from baseline to 2 months post educational intervention with mean difference standard deviations (SD): 1.5 (2.5); p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A simple educational model was implemented in a Vietnamese hospital that revealed good hand hygiene compliance for an extended period of time. Hand hygiene knowledge increased during the intervention. This hand hygiene model could be used in developing countries were resources are limited.
