Evaluation of the Green Badge System
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of a monitoring system on hand hygiene compliance.
IRAS ID
171107
Contact name
Andrew Dodgson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 16 days
Research summary
Appropriate hand hygiene is a cornerstone to preventing the spread of bacteria within hospitals. NHS organisations regularly monitor compliance with hand hygiene policies through direct observation of practice. The results of these observations often show high levels of compliance, though these rates are seldom maintained when covert or more objective methods are used. Veraz ltd have developed a system that detect when a healthcare worker has cleaned their hands with either alcohol hand gel (via a badge worn by the staff member) or soap and water (via a device attached to the sink outflow). Devices are connected to items such as the patient's bed, furniture and equipment in the patient's immediate environment, enabling the system to detect when a staff member touches these items. The system can detect when a staff member comes in to contact with a patient or their immediate environment and thus when they should clean their hands. As the system also detect hands are actually cleaned, compliance with hand hygiene practice can be assessed. These results can be fed back regularly to improve practice. The badge worn by staff also displays a number of colours that can be used to indicate when they have cleaned their hands and thus provide immediate feedback.
The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of the system in improving hand hygiene practice, and to validate the results of a previous, smaller study using the same system.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0186
Date of REC Opinion
27 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion