Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Feb 23;11(1):42.
doi: 10.1186/s13756-022-01074-2.

Are there reasons behind high Handrub consumption? A French National in-depth qualitative assessment

Delphine Berthod  1   2 , Dara Alvarez  3 , Anne Perozziello  3 , Fanny Chabrol  4 , Jean-Christophe Lucet  3   5
Affiliations

Are there reasons behind high Handrub consumption? A French National in-depth qualitative assessment

Delphine Berthod et al. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. .

Abstract

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is the most important measure for preventing healthcare-associated infections. A significant correlation between alcohol-based handrub consumption (AHRC) and observed HH compliance rates has been established. In France, publicly reported AHRC displayed a large heterogeneity across healthcare facilities (HCFs). We aimed to describe programmes for promoting HH in the top and medium AHRC scorers and to assess factors and drivers leading to a high AHRC score in a panel of French HCFs.

Methods: We performed a nationwide qualitative comparative case study based on in-depth semi-structured interviews in 16 HCFs with high, 4-year AHRC scores, and a sample of seven university hospitals (UHs) with medium AHRC scores. Infection Prevention and Control Team (IPC) members (n = 62), quality managers/chief executive officers (n = 23) and frontline workers (n = 6) were interviewed, using a grounded theory approach and an iterative thematic approach.

Results: Ninety-one interviews were performed. There was a large heterogeneity in IPC structures and objectives, with specific patterns associated with high AHRC that were more organisational than technical. Four areas emerged: (1) strong cohesive team structure with supportive and outcome-oriented work attitude, (2) IPC structure within the organization, (3) active support from the institution, (4) leadership and role model. Among high AHRC scorers, a good core IPC organisation, a proactive and flexible management, a frequent presence in the clinical wards, and working in a constructive safety climate were prominent.

Conclusion: We highlighted that IPC structure and activity is heterogeneous, with organisational and behavioural characteristics associated with high AHRC score. Beyond technical challenge, our work underlines the importance of strong structure of the IPC and behavioural approaches in implementing key IPC programmes.

Keywords: Cross infection; Education; France; Hand disinfection; Health knowledge, attitude practice; Health personnel; Prevention and control; Qualitative research; Standards.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Profile of interviewees
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization. World Alliance for Patient Safety. WHO Guidelines on hand hygiene in health care. 2006. http://www.who.int/patientsafety/information_centre/guidelines_hhad/en/i...
    1. Eckmanns T, Schwab F, Bessert J, et al. Hand rub consumption and hand hygiene compliance are not indicators of pathogen transmission in intensive care units. J Hosp Infect. 2006;63:406–411. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2006.03.015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Haubitz S, Atkinson A, Kaspar T, et al. Handrub consumption mirrors hand hygiene compliance. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2016;37:707–710. doi: 10.1017/ice.2016.47. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pittet D, Hugonnet S, Harbarth S, et al. Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. Lancet. 2000;356:1307–1312. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02814-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Carlet J, Astagneau P, Brun-Buisson C, et al. French national program for prevention of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance, 1992–2008: positive trends, but perseverance needed. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2009;30:737–745. doi: 10.1086/598682. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types