Assessment of a new technology with digital feedback in healthcare in order to improve hand hygiene
Short description
There is a current need to develop new methods to assess compliance with HH in healthcare in order to improve HH and possibly reduce HAI (Gould et al. 2017; Kirkland et al, 2012). Improved HH may lead to reduced patient suffering, decreased costs and improved patient safety. In addition, it also seems to be cost effective (OECD, 2017, Pittet et al, 2000). Implementation of performance feedback may improve compliance with HH (Gould et al. 2017) and therefore there is a need to investigate whether digital feedback can have a positive effect on HH guideline use.
The overall aims
Validate, against traditional direct observations, a technical innovation that register HH opportunities and actual performed HH in patient care.
Examine the effect of digital feedback at a) group level and b) individual level regarding HH compliance rates, estimated by the technical innovation validated in study 1.
Identify healthcare professionals’ experiences of a technical innovation for HH surveillance and feedback system, in order to make any adjustments so that the technology and feedback system can be adapted and optimized.
Based on the results of studies 1 – 3 this technical innovation will be implemented in study focusing on the conditions at another surgical ward than the ward in study 1-3, in order to assess HH compliance and possible improve HH.
Research Questions
- Can we expect trustworthy results in terms of HH compliance with new technical solutions compared with traditional direct observations in healthcare?
- How would such a technique function, and are the results clinically valid and reliable?
- Does this technology have a place in wards to assess compliance with HH and to provide digital feedback?
- Can new ways of assessing compliance with HH and also provide feedback to healthcare professionals increase HH compliance rate in patient care?
- Is it possible to have a sustainable effect on compliance with HH by providing continuous feedback over time?
- How do healthcare professionals’ experience such a technical solution of assessing compliance with HH? Also, what are healthcare professionals experiences of a digital feedback system?
