SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting
Objectives: The use of handwashing sinks for activities other than hand hygiene (HH) is associated with higher rates of β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae. However, little has been published about the handwashing sink activities in Singapore hospitals. We explored the handwashing sink activiti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732494X2300044X/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797869490990481408 |
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| author | Xiaowei Huan Sharifah Farhanah Kyaw Zaw Linn Clara Chong Hui Ong Liang Hui Loo Allie Yin Lim Nur Hafizah Binte Hamad Chu Ying Poon Hui Ru Tan Ying Wei Tang Brenda Sze Peng Ang Marimuthu Kalisvar |
| author_facet | Xiaowei Huan Sharifah Farhanah Kyaw Zaw Linn Clara Chong Hui Ong Liang Hui Loo Allie Yin Lim Nur Hafizah Binte Hamad Chu Ying Poon Hui Ru Tan Ying Wei Tang Brenda Sze Peng Ang Marimuthu Kalisvar |
| author_sort | Xiaowei Huan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: The use of handwashing sinks for activities other than hand hygiene (HH) is associated with higher rates of β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae. However, little has been published about the handwashing sink activities in Singapore hospitals. We explored the handwashing sink activities in a tertiary-care hospital in Singapore. Methods: Five trained shadow observers conducted this observational study between December 18 and 21, 2018 (6 hours per day: 07:00–09:00, 09:30–11:30, and 12:30–14:30) in acute-care general wards. We divided the handwashing sink activities by healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs (ie, visitors, caregivers, and relatives) and by HH- and non–HH-related activities. We used Stata version 15 software for the analysis. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National Healthcare Group, Singapore (DSRB no. 2020/01257). Results: In total, 657 handwashing sink activities were recorded [HCWs, 475 (72.3%) and non-HCWs, 182 (27.7%)]. Of the 475 HCW handwashing sink activities, 451 (94.9%) were HH-related, 10 (2.1%) were for patient nutrition, 7 (1.5%) were for environmental care, 6 (1.3%) were for medical equipment cleaning, and 1 (0.2%) was patient personal-item cleaning. Of the 182 handwashing sink activities by non-HCWs, 117 (64.3%) were HH related, 30 (16.5%) were for patient nutrition, 21 (11.5%) were for personal hygiene, 14 (7.7%) were patient personal-item cleaning. The distribution of handwashing sink activities differed significantly (P < .01) between HCWs and non-HCWs. The odds of non–HH-related handwashing sink activities among non-HCWs was 10× higher than among HCWs (OR, 10.44; 95% CI, 5.98–18.23; P < .01). Conclusions: Handwashing sinks use for non–HH-related activities is higher among non-HCWs than HCWs. Further studies are needed to understand the impact of non-HH handwashing sink activities on nosocomial infections and ways to reduce them. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:12:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8cacccdef2e647e984abdf7cb133dd96 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2732-494X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T00:12:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8cacccdef2e647e984abdf7cb133dd962023-03-16T07:24:49ZengCambridge University PressAntimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology2732-494X2023-02-013s14s1510.1017/ash.2023.44SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient settingXiaowei Huan0Sharifah Farhanah1Kyaw Zaw Linn2Clara Chong Hui Ong3Liang Hui Loo4Allie Yin Lim5Nur Hafizah Binte Hamad6Chu Ying Poon7Hui Ru Tan8Ying Wei Tang9Brenda Sze Peng Ang10Marimuthu Kalisvar11National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeInfectious Disease Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeNational Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeInfectious Disease Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeInfectious Disease Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeNational Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeNational Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeNational Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeNational Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeNational Public Health & Epidemiology Unit, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, SingaporeInfectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, SingaporeInfectious Diseases, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, SingaporeObjectives: The use of handwashing sinks for activities other than hand hygiene (HH) is associated with higher rates of β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae. However, little has been published about the handwashing sink activities in Singapore hospitals. We explored the handwashing sink activities in a tertiary-care hospital in Singapore. Methods: Five trained shadow observers conducted this observational study between December 18 and 21, 2018 (6 hours per day: 07:00–09:00, 09:30–11:30, and 12:30–14:30) in acute-care general wards. We divided the handwashing sink activities by healthcare workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs (ie, visitors, caregivers, and relatives) and by HH- and non–HH-related activities. We used Stata version 15 software for the analysis. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National Healthcare Group, Singapore (DSRB no. 2020/01257). Results: In total, 657 handwashing sink activities were recorded [HCWs, 475 (72.3%) and non-HCWs, 182 (27.7%)]. Of the 475 HCW handwashing sink activities, 451 (94.9%) were HH-related, 10 (2.1%) were for patient nutrition, 7 (1.5%) were for environmental care, 6 (1.3%) were for medical equipment cleaning, and 1 (0.2%) was patient personal-item cleaning. Of the 182 handwashing sink activities by non-HCWs, 117 (64.3%) were HH related, 30 (16.5%) were for patient nutrition, 21 (11.5%) were for personal hygiene, 14 (7.7%) were patient personal-item cleaning. The distribution of handwashing sink activities differed significantly (P < .01) between HCWs and non-HCWs. The odds of non–HH-related handwashing sink activities among non-HCWs was 10× higher than among HCWs (OR, 10.44; 95% CI, 5.98–18.23; P < .01). Conclusions: Handwashing sinks use for non–HH-related activities is higher among non-HCWs than HCWs. Further studies are needed to understand the impact of non-HH handwashing sink activities on nosocomial infections and ways to reduce them.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732494X2300044X/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | Xiaowei Huan Sharifah Farhanah Kyaw Zaw Linn Clara Chong Hui Ong Liang Hui Loo Allie Yin Lim Nur Hafizah Binte Hamad Chu Ying Poon Hui Ru Tan Ying Wei Tang Brenda Sze Peng Ang Marimuthu Kalisvar SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology |
| title | SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting |
| title_full | SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting |
| title_fullStr | SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting |
| title_full_unstemmed | SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting |
| title_short | SG-APSIC1122: Observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting |
| title_sort | sg apsic1122 observational study of handwashing sink activities in the inpatient setting |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732494X2300044X/type/journal_article |
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