Abstract
Hand hygiene is critical to the safety of patients in hospitals today.
Objective: Engaging staff, physicians, patients, and visitors in hand hygiene is important to create a safe environment. The author discusses the development and implementation of an evidence-based practice guideline for improving hand hygiene and application of that guideline in an academic medical center setting.
Method: Establishment of a multidisciplinary team committed to improving organizational performance, development of a practice guideline, organizational assessment, and the implementation of a multimodal intervention plan are all keys to success.
Conclusion: Organizational culture can be changed utilizing an evidence-based, organization-specific approach to hand hygiene.