Using ultrasonic devices like these to monitor handwashing in hospital patients, researchers have found that hospital patients usually don’t wash their hands when using the bathroom. (Photo credit: Sonitor, Inc.)
A new system for monitoring handwashing has revealed that patients in hospitals only wash their hands about 30 per cent of the time while using the washroom.
The study used electronic transponders attached to hospital bracelets and soap and hand sanitizer dispensers; by picking up ultrasonic signals from these devices, researchers could track who was washing their hands and when.
In a study of 12,000 bathroom visits by over 200 patients, researchers found that handwashing took place only 30 per cent of the time. Better handwashing practices could reduce the spread of hospital-acquired infections, such as MRSA or C. difficile.
Original research paper published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology on October 2, 2014.
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