HAItime: A novel clinician-led strategy for reducing healthcare associated infections (HAI) on every ward round

HAItime: A novel clinician-led strategy for reducing healthcare associated infections (HAI) on every ward round

Amalie Wilke¹, Nick Hewitt^1,2, Visopiano Sanyu¹, Mary O’Reilly¹, Nathan Better¹, Caroline Bartolo³, ,

¹Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
²St.Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
³Barwon Health, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Introduction
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are the most frequent adverse patient outcomes worldwide. Doctors have lower hand hygiene rates than other health staff, however the ‘5 Moments for Hand Hygiene’ are difficult to embed in clinical work. This study utilised a digital version of the ‘HAITime’ process previously piloted in a metropolitan public hospital. The HAItime® app is a novel, real-time tool that engages junior doctors to prevent HAI during inpatient ward rounds.

Methods
The soft launch of the HAItime® app was supported by the executive and heads of units at a metropolitan private hospital. ‘Read and do’ prompts in the app take around 30 seconds and remind staff to clean their hands on approaching the patient’s bedside and initiate removal of medical devices where appropriate. Immediate feedback about hand hygiene is available to clinicians. Data is collected through the app and analysed.

Results
Ten clinical units have been recruited since launch in mid-2022, led by advanced trainees and nurse unit managers. Results across four months captured 360 HAItime® app interactions, assessing 328 indwelling devices. Of these, 54 devices were removed (19 potentially infected; 35 not needed). 599 hand hygiene opportunities were assessed, with 88% compliance, above the hospital baseline. Clinician-led feedback around hand hygiene rates was very high (98%), confirming high comfort levels with app utilisation.

Conclusion
The HAItime® app has life-saving potential, reminding clinicians of their responsibility for infection prevention, endorsing the WHO position that hand hygiene is the “most effective single measure to reduce transmission of microorganisms/pathogens”.

Biography

Dr Caroline Bartolo is an Infectious Diseases Physician and Medical Lead for Infection Prevention Service at Barwon Health.