Healthcare Associated Infection Infections and Infestations Infection, unspecified
Conditions
Interventions
Computer generated stepped wedge randomisation. Hospitals aware only of own allocation. Hand hygiene observer blinded to allocation.
A theory-based, sustainable intervention was designed by two of th
Sponsors
University College London (UK)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Acute care of the elderly (ACE) or general medical wards and intensive therapy units (ITUs) in acute NHS trust hospitals across England and Wales. In each hospital, one ITU and a maximum of three acute care of the elderly wards were recruited. Sites recruited by requests posted on the "cleanyourhands campaign" website and by contacting infection control teams directly. Sites were eligible if they still wished to be involved after three or four site visits to gain the support of senior infection control team and management, ward managers, senior nurses and consultants, could offer the ITU and two or three acute care of the elderly wards as the clinical settings for the trial and were implementing the cleanyourhands campaign.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Wards that do not meet the above inclusion criteria
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Hand hygiene compliance measured by covert direct observation by an observer blinded as to ward allocation or randomisation to the intervention. Observation periods of one hour, every 6 weeks, using a previously tested Hand Hygiene Observation Tool (the HHOT). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Monthly soap and AHR procurement data (litres per bed day) were collected as a proxy measure of hand hygiene compliance for each of the study wards. Data were collected either from hospital supplies departments or directly from NHS Supply Chain. Data routinely collected by trusts for national mandatory reporting on healthcare associated infections (cases per 10,000 bed days) (Methicillin resistant-, and sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias and Clostridium difficile infection. Data collected monthly for individual wards from hospital infection control teams). | — |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed