The American journal of nursing
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Evaluation of a hand hygiene campaign in outpatient health care clinics.
To improve hand hygiene in two outpatient health care clinics through the introduction of a gel sanitizer and an informational poster. ⋯ Hand hygiene performance by health care workers in outpatient clinics may be improved through promoting the use of gel sanitizer and using informational posters. Compared with surveys, direct observation by trained observers may provide more accurate information about worker preferences for hand hygiene tools.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It's estimated that more than 13 million U. ⋯ Even when patients receive optimal COPD therapy, they periodically experience exacerbations, which reduce lung function and quality of life, increase risk of death from COPD, and account for the majority of costs related to COPD treatment. This article, the second in a two-part series on COPD, outlines current guidelines and evidence-based recommendations for identifying, assessing, and managing COPD exacerbations (the first article in the series, "An Evidence-Based Approach to COPD," March 2012, focused on the management of stable COPD in the outpatient setting).