Assessing the accuracy of a new hand hygiene monitoring device (SmartRub®): from the laboratory to clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: We developed SmartRub® powered by iQati®, an electronic device composed of a wristband and an alcohol-based handrub pocket-sized dispenser that measures and provides feedback on the duration of hand friction and the volume poured during each hand hygiene action. We aimed to assess the accuracy of SmartRub®. METHODS: The specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of SmartRub® were assessed in a 3-phased experiment: (1) laboratory-controlled conditions with volunteers; (2) pre-planned clinical path with volunteers and (3) real clinical conditions with healthcare workers. The accuracy of SmartRub® was evaluated by quantifying its ability to correctly capture true hand hygiene actions and to not record other actions performed while wearing the device. RESULTS: In the laboratory, 7 volunteers performed 816 actions. Overall sensitivity was 94.1% (95% CI 91.4-96.2%) with a PPV of 99.0% (95% CI 97.3-99.6%) and specificity was 99.0% (95% CI 97.5-99.7%) with a NPV of 94.4% (95% CI 91.9-96.1%). During the pre-planned clinical path phase, 13 volunteers performed 98 planned paths and a total of 967 actions were performed. Overall sensitivity was 94.6% (95% CI 92.2-96.5%) with a PPV of 84.3% (95% CI 81.6-86.7%) and specificity was 82.4% (95% CI 78.7-85.7%) with a NPV of 93.9% (95% CI 91.3-95.7%). During the real clinical conditions phase, 17 healthcare workers were observed for a total of 15 h and 3 min while they performed 485 actions. Sensitivity was 96.8% (95% CI 93.8-98.6%) with a PPV of 98.3% (95% CI 95.6-99.3%) and specificity was 98.3% (95% CI 95.7-99.5%) with a NPV of 96.8% (95% CI 93.9-98.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Smartrub® is a highly reliable device for capturing hand hygiene actions under a range of conditions, from the laboratory to clinical care activities.

Effect of Wearing a Novel Electronic Wearable Device on Hand Hygiene Compliance Among Health Care Workers: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hand hygiene (HH) is essential to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Objective: To determine whether providing real-time feedback on a simplified HH action improves compliance with the World Health Organization's "5 Moments" and the quality of the HH action. Design, Setting, and Participants: This open-label, cluster randomized, stepped-wedge clinical trial was conducted between June 1, 2017, and January 6, 2018 (with a follow-up in March 2018), in a geriatric hospital of the University of Geneva Hospitals, Switzerland. All 12 wards and 97 of 306 eligible health care workers (HCWs) volunteered to wear a novel electronic wearable device that delivered real-time feedback on duration of hand rubbing and application of a hand-sized customized volume of alcohol-based handrub (ABHR). Interventions: This study had 3 sequential periods: baseline (no device), transition (device monitoring without feedback), and intervention (device monitoring and feedback). The start of the transition period was randomly allocated based on a computer-generated block randomization. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was HH compliance, according to the direct observation method during intervention as compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes included the volume of ABHR and duration of hand rubbing measured by the device during intervention as compared with transition. Results: All wards and respective HCWs were evenly assigned to group 1 (26 participants), 2 (22 participants), 3 (25 participants), or 4 (24 participants). Twelve HCWs did not fully complete the intervention but were included in the analysis. During 759 observation sessions, 6878 HH opportunities were observed. HH compliance at intervention (62.9%; 95% CI, 61.1%-64.7%) was lower than at baseline (66.6%; 95% CI, 64.8%-68.4%). After adjusting for covariates, HH compliance was not different between periods (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.75-1.42; P = .85). Days since study onset (OR, 0.997; 95% CI, 0.994-0.998; P < .001), older age (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99; P = .015), and workload (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.20-0.41; P < .001) were independently associated with reduced HH compliance. The median (interquartile range) volume of ABHR and duration of hand rubbing in transition and intervention increased from 1.12 (0.76-1.68) mL to 1.71 (1.01-2.76) mL and from 6.5 (4.5-10.5) seconds to 8 (4.5-15.5) seconds, respectively. There were no serious adverse events. Conclusions and Relevance: The use of this device did not change HH compliance, but increased the duration of hand rubbing and volume of ABHR used by HCWs. Trial Registration: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN25430066.

Critical Reliability Issues of Common Type Alcohol-Based Handrub Dispensers.

BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene can only be efficient if the whole hand surface is treated with sufficient alcohol-based handrub (ABHR); therefore, the volume of handrub applied is a critical factor in patient safety. The proper amount of ABHR should be provided by handrub dispensers. The aim of this study was to investigate the dispensing performance of wall-mounted ABHR dispensers commonly employed in hospital settings. METHOD: In a multicenter study, we tested 46 dispensers (22 in laboratory and 24 in clinical environments), measuring dispensed ABHR volume during continuous use and after a period of non-use. The influence of the pumping mechanism, liquid level, ABHR formats, handrub composition, temperature, and atmospheric pressure was investigated. RESULTS: A total of 7 out of the 22 investigated dispensers (32%) lost a significant amount of handrub; greater than 30% of the nominal volume after 8 h of non-use, thus frequently dispensing suboptimal volume, as measured in laboratory settings. Key influencing factors were found to be handrub format (gel or liquid), handrub level in the container and type of dispenser. When gel ABHR was used, after 4 h of non-use of the dispensers, the volume of the dispensed amount of ABHR insignificantly changed (97% of the original amount), while it technically decreased to zero in the case of liquid ABHR (1% of the original amount). The liquid level had a medium effect on the dispensed volume in each investigated case; the magnitude of this effect varied widely depending on the dispensing mechanism. When dispensers were in continuous use, they dispensed a cumulated 3 mL of ABHR from two consecutive pushes, while when they were not in use for 1 h, up to 4 consecutive pushes were necessary to provide a total of 3 mL ABHR. Design and production quality were also identified as important contributing factors with respect to the volume dispensed. Data collected in clinical settings confirmed these findings, for multiple types of dispensers. CONCLUSION: All ABHR dispensers should be regularly audited to control the reference volume distributed, with particular attention paid to regular mechanical pump units filled with liquid handrub.

"Nurses and midwives: clean care is in your hands": the 5th May 2020 World Health Organization SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign.

In honor of Florence Nightingale's 200th birthday, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2020 the "Year of the Nurse and Midwife". On May 5th of this year, for the annual celebration of the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign, WHO will focus on the essential role that nurses and midwives play in contributing to saving millions of lives per year. It is necessary to recognize the work and the immense responsibility that nurses and midwives carry since achieving Universal Health Coverage is highly reliant on them.

Hand hygiene in low- and middle-income countries.

A panel of experts was convened by the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) to overview evidence based strategies to reduce the transmission of pathogens via the hands of healthcare workers and the subsequent incidence of hospital acquired infections with a focus on implementing these strategies in low- and middle-income countries. Existing data suggests that hospital patients in low- and middle-income countries are exposed to rates of healthcare associated infections at least 2-fold higher than in high income countries. In addition to the universal challenges to the implementation of effective hand hygiene strategies, hospitals in low- and middle-income countries face a range of unique barriers, including overcrowding and securing a reliable and sustainable supply of alcohol-based handrub. The WHO Multimodal Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy and its associated resources represent an evidence-based framework for developing a locally-adapted implementation plan for hand hygiene promotion.