title: [New approaches to the monitoring of hospital hygiene: assessment of hygiene skills of staff members by structured interviews and observation].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing demands on hygiene in hospitals require improved methods of systematic monitoring by the Public Health Service.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hygiene skills of at least 20% of the hospital physicians and nurses were evaluated by structured interviews and observation. The results were presented to the hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 184 persons were reviewed in 5 hospitals. On average, 7 out of 10 questions on hygiene knowledge were answered correctly, 74% of the persons asked demonstrated proper hand hygiene and 66% of them were not wearing any jewellery on their hands. There were no significant differences between physicians and nurses. The slight differences between the 5 hospitals were transferred into a ranking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of the method provides additional information on hygiene in hospitals and allows a comparison of the hygiene skills of their staff members. The results form the basis for a dialogue between hospital and Public Health Service.
authors.affiliation: Kreis Höxter, Fachbereich Gesundheits- und Veterinärwesen, Höxter. R.Woltering@kreis-hoexter.de
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Woltering
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Münster
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Heudorf
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005858:Germany; D006920:Hygiene; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*