Hospital hygiene drive 'saved 10,000 lives

CleanYourHands' campaign has generated significant give MRSA along with other superbug infections, says BMJ reportMRSA rates in hospitals fell by over fifty percent between July 2004 and June 2008, based on the BMJ study. Photograph: getty Images

The government-funded campaign to raise hand hygiene at hospitals across England and Wales generated a substantial give the rates of superbug infections, an investigation has revealed.

Following the 'CleanYourHands' campaign was presented in 2004, how much soapy alcoholic hand rub bought by NHS trusts almost tripled, according to a report published inside the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Above US For Treatment the same period, MRSA rates in hospitals were slashed by more than half, while there seemed to be a significant drop in the volume of Clostridium difficile infections.

The campaign, backed because of the Department of Health, was introduced throughout the 187 acute NHS trusts in England and Wales between December 2004 and June 2005.

It encouraged hospital visitors, patients and staff to clean their hands with soap or an alcohol gel when entering or leaving wards. Individuals were also encouraged to clean their hands before touching patients, eating food and after browsing toilet.

As part of the drive, alcohol gels were put by bedsides, posters reminded staff to launder their hands and regular checks were built to ensure hands were kept clean.

The BMJ study, which analysed statistics between July 2004 and June 2008, found that the volume of patients infected with MRSA fell from 1.88 cases per 10,000 bed days to 0.91 above the four-year period.

Rates of C.difficile infection dropped from 16.75 to 9.49 cases, as the number of instances of MSSA - a bacteria that comes with the skin - didn't fall.

The learning saved 10,000 lives also found that hospital trust procurement of soap and alcohol hand rub rose from the combined 21.8ml to 59.8ml per patient bed day within the period.

The raised degrees of soap in hospitals was associated with reduced rates of C.difficile infection, while rising levels of alcohol hand rub were of a lowering of MRSA cases.

The report concludes: The CleanYourHands campaign was associated with sustained increases in hospital procurement of alcohol rub and soap, how the results suggest posseses an natural part in reducing rates of some healthcare associated infections.

National interventions for infection control undertaken poor an increased profile political drive helps to reduce selected healthcare associated infections.

Sheldon Paul Stone, senior lecturer at UCL School of medicine, who led the study, estimated that around 10,000 lives were saved due to the campaign, which ended in 2010.

He told the Independent: Definitely, lives were saved with the campaign. I'd say 10,000 lives within the four-year period of case study would be a reasonable estimate.

If hand hygiene were a brand new drug, pharmaceutical companies could be out selling it for all those these were worth.

Dr Stone added: It is obvious the campaign really should be continued. Safety Independent groups have suggested it should. It takes a whole new concentrate on staff who use gloves. They cope with the most infectious patients however are much less likely to use soap.

A spokesman through the Department of Health was quoted as saying: The Clean The hands campaign was successful in their try and highlight the value of good hand hygiene practice throughout the NHS. We realize this has been successful.

Task now's to ensure the NHS embeds the good practice highlighted within the campaign to obtain our ambition to annihilate avoidable healthcare-associated infection.

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