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HAND
HYGIENE
3 Findings on How Hand Hygiene Signage
Influences Patient Perception
By Shannon Barnet
S
igns that encourage clinicians to wash their hands can do more than just boost hand hygiene
compliance — they also improve patient and visitor perceptions of the healthcare facility's safety and
care quality, according to a recent survey.
e survey was commissioned by SCA, a producer of hygiene products, and was conducted online in
April. More than 1,200 U.S. adults responded to the survey, of which roughly 1,000 had visited or were a
patient at a healthcare facility during the 12 months prior to the study.
Highlighted below are three findings from the survey.
one
According to the survey,
hand washing signage
made 84 percent of the
respondents feel more
confident about both a
facility's cleanliness and
made 81 percent feel more
confident about the quality of
care being given.
two
?
Most respondents (83
percent) said they
would prefer to visit a
healthcare facility that
displays hand washing
signage over one that
does not. More than
half (57 percent) said
they felt the absence
of hand washing
signage made them
question the hand
hygiene practices of
the facility.
three
e top three most
important messages
the respondents said
should be included on
signage are reminders
to employees to
wash their hands (69
percent), messages
about the importance
of washing hands
(52 percent) and
information on how
to properly wash
hands (45 percent).
