Video-based Monitoring Systems (VMS) for auditing hand hygiene compliance: the challenges of undertaking a PhD during a global pandemic
Katherine McKay1,2, Ramon Shaban1,2,3, , 1Faculty of Medicine and Health, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, Camperdown, NSW, Australia 2Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, Camperdown, NSW, Australia3Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Division of Infectious Diseases and Sexual Health, Westmead Hospital and Western Sydney Local Health District, Westmead, NSW, Australia
Inotrduction
Direct observation is considered the gold standard approach for hand hygiene auditing, however the method is acknowledged as subject to biases and as a time consuming way to collect data. Of the electronic systems suggested as alternatives, only video-based approaches have been proposed as having capacity to measure compliance according to the WHO 5 moment criteria rather than by proxy measures.
Method
The utility of VMS was explored using a pragmatic, mixed methods approach which comprised 3 linked studies. Study 1 examined the technical and methodological requirements of a VMS. Study 2 was a practical simulation of VMS systems for hand hygiene compliance. Study 3 examined the acceptability of the approach for HCWs and patients. Data collection occurred during 2020-2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results
This study successfully developed a VMS for hand hygiene compliance auditing according to the WHO 5 moment’s criteria in an easy and time efficient manner, and in doing so established regulatory, legislative, technical and operational specifications that rendered the approach generally acceptable to HCWs and patients.
Conclusion
VMS captures data suitable for hand hygiene compliance according to the WHO 5 moments in a time efficient manner. The literature and this study support that such data is less impacted by biases inherent in direct observation, and the approach is generally acceptable to HCWs and patients with certain caveats.
Biography
Katherine McKay is a Clinical Nurse Consultant (Infection Prevention and Control) at the Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Eastern Health. She completed the Masters of Advanced Practice (Infection Control) at Griffith University with first class honours and more recently PHD at The University of Sydney on the topic of Video Surveillance for hand hygiene auditing and has recently co-authored several papers on the subject. Katherine has also completed Post Graduate Studies in Critical Care Nursing and Clinical Nursing Education.