OHSU

Hand Hygiene

Hand Hygiene in the Health-Care Setting

bacteria in petri dish in shape of a handprint

Good hand hygiene is the most important way to prevent the spread of infections.  Perfect hand hygiene is an institutional goal at OHSU because we are committed to doing everything we can to stop the spread of infections.  OHSU uses the World Health Organization's "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" to define the moments when health-care workers should be cleaning their hands.  See Hand Hygiene Resources below for more information.


Hand Hygiene Compliance Data

hands being washed

In partnership with OHSU hospitals and clinics, and OHSU Department of Quality, the Department of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)  monitors and reports hand hygiene compliance.  Direct observational data is collected in the patient care areas and submitted to IPC for analyzing, and reported using the Statit quality reporting tool. 

In the inpatient units and surgical areas, observations are collected using the iPhone app "iScrub."  In the outpatient clinics, a paper based observation tool is used.  In some clinics, patients are providing observational data.  If you have questions about how this is done on your unit, contact your manager. 

See Hand Hygiene Resources below to download observation forms or to view hand hygiene compliance data.