from Grayson ML, Stewardson AJ, Russo PL, Ryan KE, Olsen KL, Havers SM, Greig S, Cruickshank M 2018
published in Lancet Infect Dis; 18: 1269–1277
DOI 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30491-2

Effects of the Australian National Hand Hygiene Initiative after 8 years on infection control practices, health-care worker education, and clinical outcomes: a longitudinal study.

During the Australian national hand hygiene initiative hand hygiene compliance increased from 63.6% to 84.3%.

In this longitudinal study the effectiveness and outcomes of the Australian National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI) were assessed. From 2009 to 2017 about 2 mio NHHI online learning programs were completed. The average hand hygiene compliance in Australian hospitals increased from 63.6% to 84.3% while the incidence of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (HA-SAB) decreased. For every 10% of increase in hand hygiene compliance, the incidence of HA-SAB decreased by 15%.

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