Sustained improvement in hand hygiene compliance using a multi-modal improvement programme at a Swiss multi-site regional hospital.

Background: Evidence of sustained improvement in hand hygiene compliance at the institutional level is scarce.

Aim: To assess the impact and sustainability of a hospital-wide improvement programme on hand hygiene compliance of staff.

Methods: Analysis of trends of hand hygiene compliance for all clinical staff, measured through direct observation by trained observers, within a 450-bed multi-centre teaching hospital in the county of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.