• Cherie Fox, Teresa Wavra, Diane Ash Drake, Debbie Mulligan, Yvonne Pacheco Bennett, Carla Nelson, Peggy Kirkwood, Louise Jones, and Mary Kay Bader.
• Cherie Fox is nurse manager of the cardiac intensive care unit, Teresa Wavra is a clinical nurse specialist, Diane Ash Drake is a nurse research scientist, Debbie Mulligan is an infection prevention manager, Yvonne Pacheco Bennett is a staff nurse, Carla Nelson is a infection control practitioner, Peggy Kirkwood is a cardiovascular nurse practitioner, Louise Jones is a staff nurse, and Mary Kay Bader is a neurological/critical care clinical nurse specialist at Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo, California. cherie.fox@stjoe.org.
• Am. J. Crit. Care. 2015 May 1;24(3):216-24.

BackgroundCritically ill patients are at marked risk of hospital-acquired infections, which increase patients' morbidity and mortality. Registered nurses are the main health care providers of physical care, including hygiene to reduce and prevent hospital-acquired infections, for hospitalized critically ill patients.ObjectiveTo investigate a new patient hand hygiene protocol designed to reduce hospital-acquired infection rates and improve nurses' hand-washing compliance in an intensive care unit.MethodsA preexperimental study design was used to compare 12-month rates of 2 common hospital-acquired infections, central catheter-associated bloodstream infection and catheter-associated urinary tract infection, and nurses' hand-washing compliance measured before and during use of the protocol.ResultsReductions in 12-month infection rates were reported for both types of infections, but neither reduction was statistically significant. Mean 12-month nurse hand-washing compliance also improved, but not significantly.ConclusionsA hand hygiene protocol for patients in the intensive care unit was associated with reductions in hospital-acquired infections and improvements in nurses' hand-washing compliance. Prevention of such infections requires continuous quality improvement efforts to monitor lasting effectiveness as well as investigation of strategies to eliminate these infections.©2015 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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