title: Relationship between healthcare worker surface contacts, care type and hand hygiene: an observational study in a single-bed hospital ward.
abstract: This study quantifies the relationship between hand hygiene and the frequency with which healthcare workers (HCWs) touch surfaces in patient rooms. Surface contacts and hand hygiene were recorded in a single-bed UK hospital ward for six care types. Surface contacts often formed non-random patterns, but hygiene before or after patient contact depends significantly on care type (P=0.001). The likelihood of hygiene correlated with the number of surface contacts (95% confidence interval 1.1-5.8, P=0.002), but not with time spent in the room. This highlights that a potential subconscious need for hand hygiene may have developed in HCWs, which may support and help focus future hygiene education programmes.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Public Health and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. Electronic address: m.f.king@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: M-F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Institute for Public Health and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Noakes
authors.affiliation: Institute for Public Health and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sleigh
authors.affiliation: Research & Development Department, The Friars, Newport, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bale
authors.affiliation: Research & Development Department, The Friars, Newport, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Waters
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D014110:Touch; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Hand hygiene; Hospital-acquired infection; Surface contacts