Considering the nature of their job, health care workers are expected to wash their hands frequently. However, based on the findings of a study called "The Impact of Time at Work and Time Off from Work on Rule Compliance: The Case of Hand Hygiene in Healthcare," this golden rule isn't usually followed.
The researchers conducted an experiment in more than 35 hospitals and across 4,000 health care workers. Using a special tool that can help detect whether a hand is washed with sanitizer or soap, they discovered that in spite of having more than 14,000 opportunities for hand hygiene, compliance rate dropped at an average of almost 9% as the 12-hour work shift went. This meant that over the course of the period, fewer people complied with hygienic standards like washing their hands.
Further, there is an inverted correlation between the number of patients and frequency of hand washing-that is, the more patients they see, the fewer times they become compliant.
The study suggests that longer breaks can encourage health care workers to remain compliant with hygiene rules.
Meanwhile, on September 10, 2014, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America published another study that relates to hygiene among health care workers.
Like the previous study, it confirmed that policy adherence is low among health care workers, but there's another way to encourage them: washing hands with their peers around.
The study, which will be published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology in October, is composed of researchers from Carver College of Medicine of the University of Iowa who performed it for 24 hours a day within 10 days.
Using a similar model of the first study mentioned, the researchers created a special system made up of badges that kept track of hand washing opportunities and compliance. It also monitored their closeness to other health care workers within an intensive unit. Samples were chosen at random and covered nurses, doctors, and other health care staff.
In conclusion of the experiment, they gathered no less than 47,000 opportunities. However, those who were in closer proximity with their colleagues registered over 5% higher hand washing rate.
The researchers led by Dr. Philip Polgreen believe that this reflects the effect of the social network, the same principle behind smoking reduction or increase, as well as productivity in the workplace.