Increasing hand hygiene compliance to reduce infection rates: is valid comparison of compliance methods possible? A literature review

The link between increased hand hygiene (HH) compliance and decreasing rates of infection cannot be ignored. Today, the increased acuity and invasiveness of many therapeutic interventions require greater HH compliance. Infection control personnel are challenged to find the best strategies to achieve this. This literature review, limited to studies between 2000 and 2007 using quasi- or pre-experimental research design, aimed to determine recent strategies for increased HH compliance in hospital settings. Multimodal strategies appeared most effective, but there was a lack of constant comparative research processes and discussion about how to facilitate behavioural change for sustainable increases. Innovative, comparable research, including justification of interventions as a reflection of adult learning principles, is needed to gauge the effectiveness of HH compliance strategies.