Implementation of an electronic, secure, web-based application to support routine hand hygiene observation with immediate direct feedback and anonymized benchmarking.

A secure web-based electronic tool was developed and implemented to record adherence to hand hygiene during routine care and to provide direct feedback including anonymized benchmarking. It was found suitable for documenting hand hygiene improvements in a local campaign and following rollout to other institutions in 2013, the tool is currently used in >100 hospitals in Switzerland and will play a major part in upcoming national hand hygiene campaigns.

Hand hygiene adherence in relation to influenza season during 6 consecutive years.

Hand hygiene (HH) is the single most important measure in reducing the burden of healthcare-acquired infections. Based on 12,740 HH opportunities observed during 6 consecutive years at our tertiary care center, HH adherence among healthcare workers (HCWs) was significantly better during influenza season compared to non-influenza periods, after controlling for important covariables (odds ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.

Improved hand hygiene compliance after eliminating mandatory glove use from contact precautions-Is less more?

Background: Guidelines recommend that health care personnel (HCP) wear gloves for all interactions with patients on contact precautions. We aimed to assess hand hygiene (HH) compliance during contact precautions before and after eliminating mandatory glove use.

Methods: We assessed HH compliance of HCP in the care of patients on contact precautions in 50 series before (2009) and 6 months after (2012) eliminating mandatory glove use and compared these results with the hospital-wide HH compliance.

Characterization of apxIVA, a new RTX determinant of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

A fourth type of RTX determinant was identified in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and was designated apxIVA. When expressed in Escherichia coli, recombinant ApxIVA showed a weak haemolytic activity and co-haemolytic synergy with the sphingomyelinase (beta-toxin) of Staphylococcus aureus. These activities required the presence of an additional gene, ORF1, that is located immediately upstream of apxIVA.