" If the glove fits " : Hospital-wide universal gloving is associated with improved hand hygiene and may reduce Clostridioides difficile infection.

Objective: To determine whether a hospital-wide universal gloving program resulted in increased hand hygiene compliance and reduced inpatient Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates. Design: We carried out a multiple-year before-and-after quasi-experimental quality improvement study. Gloving and hand hygiene compliance data as well as hospital-acquired infection rates were prospectively collected from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017, by secret monitors. Settings: The University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital, an 849-bed quaternary-care teaching hospital. Patients: All adult inpatients with the exception of patients in the obstetrics unit. Interventions: A hospital-wide universal gloving protocol was initiated on January 1, 2016. Results: Hand hygiene compliance increased from 68% in 2015 reaching an average of 88% by 2017 (P
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news