On October 2, the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) released a report entitled Health-Care-Associated Infections in Hospitals: An Overview of State Reporting Programs and Individual Hospital Initiatives to Reduce Certain Infections.
The report outlines which states are currently or soon planning to publicly report hospital-specific performance on specific hospital-acquired infections. The emphasis in the 23 states with activity in this arena is largely on reporting incidence of particular infections, though a small number are also reporting adherence to protocols designed to reduce certain hospital-acquired infections.
In addition, through surveys and onsite visits, the GAO reports on the activities of fourteen hospitals known to have programs designed to reduce the spread of Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These programs focus on routine testing, hand hygiene, contact precautions, and antibiotic stewardship.
All fourteen changed their hand hygiene programs in various ways with almost all increasing the number of hand hygiene compliance audits they conduct through observation and and most enhancing staff training and public education programs. A smaller number also increased the number of dispensers of alcohol-based hand sanitizer or measured the consumption of hand hygiene products.
Imagine if these hospitals had more rigorously collected data on hand hygiene compliance and ongoing feedback to staff about their hand hygiene performance, along with positive reinforcement. To improve, staff need to know where they stand at the start. Short term observations conducted periodically cannot produce the richness of data Arrowsight Medical gathers from hospital video audits of hand hygiene compliance 24/7/365, which can identify issues by room, by hour of day, by shift, by day of week and by type of care giver.
While the GAO report does not touch on the rates of hand hygiene compliance calculated by the onsite observers in the hospitals that are the focus of its report, it is unlikely those hospitals were able to achieve the kind of results that Arrowsight achieved at its first pilot at an outpatient surgery center - from a baseline of 38 to 90 percent within three months, and above 90 percent for twelve months running. Arrowsight sends automated intra-shift emails to nurse managers and attending physicians that rank current shift performance room by room. Additionally, Arrowsight automates the delivery of aggregate team metrics to LED boards at the work site, which are updated every ten minutes for all staff to see. Arrowsight is excited to help hospitals already committed to serious programs of infection prevention take this obvious next step.
Suzanne Delbanco is President, Health Care Division, Arrowsight, Inc.