Skip to main content

The PSNet Collection: All Content

The AHRQ PSNet Collection comprises an extensive selection of resources relevant to the patient safety community. These resources come in a variety of formats, including literature, research, tools, and Web sites. Resources are identified using the National Library of Medicine’s Medline database, various news and content aggregators, and the expertise of the AHRQ PSNet editorial and technical teams.

Search All Content

Search Tips
Save
Selection
Format
Download
Published Date
Original Publication Date
Original Publication Date
PSNet Publication Date
Narrow Results By
Search By Author(s)
PSNet Original Content
Commonly Searched Resource Types
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 Results
DiDiodato G. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2013;34:605-10.
Hand hygiene rates remain disappointingly low among physicians and nurses, despite appropriate handwashing being an essential factor in preventing health care–associated infections (HAIs). This report, which used data for all hospitals in Ontario, demonstrates that overall hand hygiene rates (measured by direct observation) consistently increased in response to an extensive educational campaign. However, the rates of two key HAIs—Clostridium difficile diarrhea and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections—did not decrease as a result. At baseline, rates of the two HAIs were quite low, and hand hygiene rates were relatively high, meaning that additional improvement in HAI rates may have been difficult to achieve. In contrast, another study from a United States institution found that the rates of multiple HAIs consistently decreased over time as hand hygiene rates increased.