Study: One in five facilities doesn't provide enough hand sanitizer

New research from Columbia University School of Nursing and the World Health Organization (WHO) found that one in five U.S. health facilities doesn’t make alcohol-based hand sanitizer available at every point of care to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAI). According to a press release from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, about half of the hospitals, ambulatory care, and long-term facilities had set aside budget money for hand hygiene training.

 

The study surveyed compliance with WHO hand hygiene guidelines at 168 facilities in 42 states and Puerto Rico and found that 77.5% reported that hand sanitizer was continuously available at every point of care. About one in 10 facilities reported that senior leaders such as the CEO and medical director didn’t make a clear commitment to support hand hygiene improvement.

 

Read more about the study here.