Johns Hopkins University Hospital¹

	Pre Test	Test	Post Test
Handwashing compliance	19%	27%	24%
Infection rate	9.4%	7.5%	5.6%

Biloxi Specialty Hospital

	Pre Test	Test	Post Test
Handwashing compliance	6.8%	8.9%	9.5%
Infection rate	22%	13%	13%

Hand Hygiene Monitoring increased hand hygiene compliance and decreased Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) because healthcare workers (HCWs) and visitors, at both sites, washed or sanitized at subsequent opportunities, rather than returned to wash upon hearing a message.  HHM prompted for hand hygiene on room entry at BSH and hand hygiene increased there when prompts began, but increased even more on room exit. Hand hygiene remained high at both sites in the Post test phase, without voices. The results suggest that users were taught to wash, rather than were coerced to wash.

Patients who hear Hand Hygiene Monitor messages take an active role in their own care by reminding HCWs to wash their hands. Users accept HHM prompts without irritation because they understand that the messages only remind the to adhere to their training.

¹ Swoboda et al., 2004.