Moreno Esther, Blasco Montse, Porrón Charo, Santana Gemina, Sardà Maria, López Ana Felisa, Almendral Alexander, Limón Enric, Pujol Miquel
Doctoral Program in Nursing and Health, Faculty of Nursing, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Infectious Diseases, Consorci Sanitari Alt Penedès-Garrafc, Barcelona, Spain; VINCat Program Coordinator Hand Hygiene Objective, Catalonia, Spain.
Infection Control Nurse and Safety Patient, Fundació Hospital d'Olot Comarcal de la Garrotxa, Olot, Spain; VINCat Program Hand Hygiene Objective, Catalonia, Spain.
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed). 2025 May;43 Suppl 1:S98-S105. doi: 10.1016/j.eimce.2025.02.012. Epub 2025 Apr 4.
Hand hygiene is regarded as the cornerstone for preventing healthcare-associated infections. This study assesses trends in alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) consumption for hand hygiene and availability of dispensers at the point of care (POC) in acute care hospitals in Catalonia, as part of the VINCat program.
Data were collected from 2014 to 2022 in 69 hospitals, categorized by size and type, including large, medium, small, and specialized facilities. ABHR consumption was measured in liters per 1000 patient-days, with data segmented into intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICU wards. Hospital infection control personnel determined the availability of ABHR solutions at the POC through yearly point prevalence surveys.
The study found a significant increase in ABHR consumption over time, with usage rising from 22.8L/1000 patient-days in the 2014-2017 period to 39.9L in 2018-2022, representing a 75% increase. The most significant growth was observed in ICUs, where ABHR use nearly doubled. ABHR consumption also spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with large hospitals showing the highest levels of usage. Additionally, the availability of ABHR dispensers at the POC increased, particularly in non-ICU wards and small hospitals.
The findings underscore the role of sustained hand hygiene efforts, including increased ABHR availability at the POC, as essential components of infection prevention. These efforts are especially crucial in high-risk units such as ICUs and in smaller hospitals, where resources and compliance may be limited.
手部卫生被视为预防医疗相关感染的基石。作为VINCat项目的一部分，本研究评估了加泰罗尼亚急性护理医院中用于手部卫生的酒精基洗手液（ABHR）的使用趋势以及护理点（POC）处洗手液的供应情况。
在2014年至2022年期间收集了69家医院的数据，这些医院按规模和类型分类，包括大型、中型、小型和专科医院。ABHR的使用量以每1000患者日的升数来衡量，数据分为重症监护病房（ICU）和非ICU病房。医院感染控制人员通过年度现患率调查确定POC处ABHR溶液的供应情况。
研究发现，随着时间的推移，ABHR的使用量显著增加，从2014 - 2017年期间的22.8升/1000患者日增加到2018 - 2022年的39.9升，增长了75%。在ICU中观察到增长最为显著，ABHR的使用量几乎翻了一番。2020年新冠疫情期间ABHR的使用量也出现激增，大型医院的使用量最高。此外，POC处ABHR分配器的供应量增加，特别是在非ICU病房和小型医院。
研究结果强调了持续手部卫生措施的作用，包括增加POC处ABHR的供应量，这是感染预防的重要组成部分。这些措施在ICU等高风险科室以及资源和依从性可能有限的小型医院中尤为关键。
