Poor Compliance with Hand Hygiene Recommendations by Prehospital Providers

Healthcare-associated infections are frequent, and the most common source of spread is direct contact with providers (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 9:CD005186), largely because of poor compliance with hand hygiene recommendations (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2010; 31:283). Hand hygiene practices in the prehospital setting are understudied.

In an observational study, researchers measured compliance with the World Health Organization's “five moments for hand hygiene” recommendations among a convenience sample of prehospital personnel in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Australia. The guidelines call for hand washing or cleansing before patient contact, before an aseptic procedure, after risk of body fluid exposure, after patient contact, and…