title: Smartphone text message service to foster hand hygiene compliance in health care workers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health care-associated infections are a major worldwide public health issue. Hand hygiene is a major component in the prevention of pathogen transmission in hospitals, and hand hygiene adherence by health care workers is low in many studies. We report an intervention using text messages as reminders and feedback to improve hand hygiene adherence.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is a historical comparison proof-of-concept study. Eighteen health care workers were monitored during 12 months by a radiofrequency identification system. Afterward we sent 2 types of text messages, congratulation or encouragement, and we studied the evolution of hand hygiene adherence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recorded 15,723 hand hygiene opportunities, 8,973 before intervention and 6,750 during and after the intervention. Using a multilevel logistic regression analysis, we found a significant increase in hand hygiene adherence during the intervention (odds ratio, 1.68) compared with the historical period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite limitations due to the type of study, a text message encouraging personnel to be more vigilant is effective in increasing hand hygiene adherence in health care workers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Text message feedback should be incorporated into multimodal approaches for improving hand hygiene compliance.
authors.affiliation: CHU Nord, AP-HM, Pôle des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, France.
authors.forename: Jad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kerbaj
authors.affiliation: Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Youssoupha
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toure
authors.affiliation: Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto Aladro
authors.affiliation: CHU Nord, AP-HM, Pôle des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, France; Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boudjema
authors.affiliation: Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; INSERM, IRD, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France; APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service Biostatistique et Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Roch
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.affiliation: Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; INSERM, IRD, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France; APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service Biostatistique et Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Jean Charles
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dufour
authors.affiliation: CHU Nord, AP-HM, Pôle des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, France; Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France; URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, INSERM 1095, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France. Electronic address: philippe.brouqui@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brouqui
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D063373:Hand Hygiene / Q000379:methods*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D000075082:Proof of Concept Study; D017010:Reminder Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000068997:Smartphone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060145:Text Messaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Encouragement; Feedback; Intervention; Reminders; SMS