Efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus in healthcare facilities has incorporated a range of measures, from social distancing and the use of personal protection equipment to upgrading facility HVAC systems and implementing UV-C lighting. Now researchers are revisiting one of the most basic tactics — handwashing — in an effort to improve compliance with widely accepted recommendations.

The use of an electronic wearable device did not change hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers, according to a new study reported in Managed Healthcare Executive. Still, the technology increased the duration of hand rubbing and the volume of alcohol-based handrub used by healthcare workers. The findings suggested the technology must be further developed and tested.

Researchers determined whether providing real-time feedback on a simplified hand hygiene action would improve compliance with the World Health Organization’s “5 Moments” and the quality of the hand hygiene action. Of those eligible, 97 healthcare workers volunteered to wear a novel electronic wearable device that delivered real-time feedback on hand rubbing duration and application of a hand-sized customized volume of alcohol-based handrub.

The device consisted of two elements: a bottle and a wristband. Individual alcohol-based handrub bottle was equipped during the transition and intervention periods with a volumetric flow meter that measured the volume of alcohol-based handrub poured onto the hands. It also provided feedback by vibrating as soon as the predefined volume was applied. The wristband measured the duration of each hand hygiene action and, during the intervention period, vibrated after 15 seconds independently of the hand rubbing duration performed by the healthcare worker.

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