Ms Katherine McKay1,2, Professor Ramon Shaban1,2,3
1Faculty of Medicine and Health, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Camperdown, Australia
2Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, , Camperdown, Australia
3Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Division of Infectious Diseases and Sexual Health, Westmead Hospital and Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, Australia
Introduction: Video-based monitoring of hand hygiene has been suggested as a future compliance methodology, but little is known about healthcare workers and consumers attitudes towards it. This paper reports findings of a study that examined healthcare workers and consumers attitudes towards video-based monitoring of hand hygiene following a proof-of-concept simulation trial demonstrating the use of a video-based monitoring system (VMS) to record and subsequently audit hand hygiene practices.
Method: Data was collected via online survey (n=108) and 24 in-depth semi- structured interviews within a pragmatic naturalistic theoretical framework. Following transcription and verification of the audio-recorded interviews, content and thematic analysis took place to identify themes relating the participants’ attitudes to the proposed approach.
Results: Despite predictions that HCWs and patients would object to the use of video-based surveillance for hand hygiene auditing, participants in the study were generally positive about the approach. This acceptance was based on the need for clarification and codification of issues of privacy legislation, consent and the status of footage in terms of retention, erasure and discoverability were also highlighted is needed. The results also highlighted the importance of communication, education and openness as part of any implementation.
Conclusion: HCWs and patients in this study were more willing to accept the use of video-based monitoring for hand hygiene auditing than was anticipated. Acceptance is dependent on regulatory, legislative, technical and operational factors that need to be considered.
Biography:
Katherine McKay is a Clinical Nurse Consultant (Infection Prevention and Control) at Eastern Health and the Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. She completed the Masters of Advanced Practice (Infection Control) at Griffith University with first class honors and presented the findings of her dissertation topic of Bare Below the Elbows as a poster at ICPIC 2013 in Geneva. She is curranty nearing submission of her PHD thesis on the topic of Video Surveillance for hand hygiene auditing and has recently co-authored several papers on the subject. Katherine also completed Post Graduate Studies in Critical Care Nursing and Clinical Nursing Education.