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5 INFECTION CONTROL Hospitals can scale back hand hygiene monitoring: 4 study notes By Elizabeth Gregerson S ome evidence shows hospital infection preventionists may be able to spend less time monitoring hand hygiene, according to a study published Dec. 19 in the American Journal of Infection Control. Current Leapfrog Survey standards and other accrediting bodies require healthcare facilities to observe 100 to 200 hand hygiene observations per month per patient care unit, according to a Dec. 19 news release from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Researchers from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology evaluated 390,371 hand hygiene observations collected from 29 hospital facilities in 2023 to analyze adherence levels for the study. Here are four notes from the study's findings: 1. Researchers evaluated statistical differences in adherence data from 25, 50, 100 and 150 observations against 200 observations. 2. e rate of hand hygiene compliance adherence found in 50 observations was comparable to the rate found in 200 observations. 3. Reducing the number of required hand hygiene observations to 50 per unit per month could save hospitals $50,000 annually, the release said. 4. "If the participating hospitals were allowed to place less effort on meeting a specific hand hygiene observation number and more effort on feedback, training/education, infrastructure and culture, they could potentially create a culture that fosters and encourages the importance of HH without the burden of the high number required for the monitoring domain," lead study investigator Sara Reese, PhD, said in the release. n The fine line between virus, heart symptoms By Mackenzie Bean V irus season can prompt confusion for heart patients, as symptoms of serious cardiovascular conditions often mirror those of respiratory illnesses, according to New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System. Cardiologists at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital said patients have mistaken symptoms of serious heart conditions for respiratory illnesses this virus season. "For example, some patients have shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, swelling, and palpitations, and assume their symptoms are linked to a cold, when in fact they were actually in heart failure," Johanna Contreras, MD, a cardiologist at the hospital, said in a Jan. 23 news release. The hospital has also seen an increase in complications among heart patients who have developed a respiratory illness, including fever, dehydration and increased heart inflammation. These cases have risen across all age groups in recent months, the system said. Physicians have also diagnosed more cases of post-viral myocarditis in patients without existing heart conditions. "Other patients who have had persistent chest pain and palpitations after acute viral illness may need to consider that, in fact, this could be myocarditis," Dr. Contreras said. n Image Credit: Adobe Stock