Is improving hand hygiene in hospitals your priority? The key is to create a true culture of safety by driving meaningful behavioral change. Achieving high hand hygiene compliance in healthcare workers goes far beyond routine audits and manual checks – these methods often fall short of lasting results. To make a real impact, you need to invest in infrastructure improvements, educate healthcare workers effectively, and leverage digital monitoring systems to shift attitudes and behavior. 

1. Ensure easy access to hand hygiene products
To encourage better hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers, hospital management must make smart infrastructural changes, such as establishing hand hygiene stations in spots easily accessible for everyone. Strategically placing sanitizing dispensers near patient wards, bathrooms, hallways, nursing stations, and public areas is a quick and efficient way to boost hand hygiene compliance.

2. Maintain a consistent refill process for dispensers
Regular monitoring of dispensers, either manually or through an automated system that signals product unavailability, is the next step. Streamline the process of refilling the dispensers periodically so that no healthcare workers miss an opportunity to cleanse their hands due to the lack of sanitizing products.

3. Deliver education and training
Hospital management should create training programs to make healthcare workers aware of the importance of hand hygiene. Regular training on how and when to perform hand hygiene serves as a gentle but powerful reminder that helps build lasting habits, significantly improving hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers.

4. Place strategic visual reminders
Incorporating visual cues is another effective way to reinforce hand hygiene compliance. Posters with eye-catching graphics and clear messages about hand cleansing should be placed in key spots throughout the hospital. These simple, non-verbal reminders have a powerful impact, boosting awareness and encouraging healthcare workers to consistently implement hand hygiene.

5. Encourage individual feedback and accountability
Embracing technology can transform how you monitor and improve hand hygiene practices. HHC monitoring systems like the Ecolab® Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring System generate accurate data about each healthcare worker’s hand hygiene practice. Leveraging this data, you can hold each individual accountable for their responsibility to adhere to hand hygiene practices and give feedback about their performance. This approach not only raises awareness but also clearly highlights each person’s role in upholding hand hygiene compliance.

6. Promote friendly competition between departments
Hospital management can spark motivation by organizing interdepartmental competitions focused on hand hygiene compliance. By awarding scores and recognizing winners, hand cleansing becomes an engaging and fun activity. By establishing ground rules that individual actions directly affect the department’s score and chances of winning, everyone will be inspired to never miss an opportunity to clean their hands. Such competitions are an engaging way to improve hand hygiene compliance in a hospital.
7. Foster a culture of safety
Nurture a culture of safety by involving healthcare workers, patients, and visitors in this habit-building process. Consider offering on-arrival training for patients and visitors to emphasize the importance of regular hand cleaning and sanitizing. Simple actions like clearly labeling sanitizer expiration dates and using antimicrobial soaps in healthcare workers' rooms and bathrooms can significantly reduce the risk of spreading healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Experienced doctors should bring up the topic during general awareness meetings and lead by example, never missing a chance to ensure hand hygiene compliance.

Conclusion:
These are some creative yet effective ways to improve hand hygiene compliance in healthcare facilities. By focusing on easy access, comprehensive education, and clear accountability, you can successfully strengthen hand hygiene and reduce HAIs to minimal levels, creating a safer environment for everyone involved. 
Ecolab is a worldwide leader in offering products and services that create safe and clean environments for the medical fraternity across the globe. Our highly experienced team develops high-quality hygiene and infection prevention solutions. Feel free to connect with us for sustainable healthcare and safety solutions!