Hand hygiene quality improvement by the Semmelweis Scanner

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Hand hygiene (HH) is believed to be the most efficient tool in fighting hospital-acquired infections. Despite years of effort, caregivers’ HH compliance remain low. In this study we investigated how the Semmelweis Scanner can result HH quality improvement through automated training.


Caregivers were involved from a MICU and a NICU at an USA hospital in 2017. Caregiver’s hand hygiene technique was regularly monitored by the Semmelweis Scanner. The system computed the Semmelweis Hand Hygiene Quality (SHHQ) score (0–100), which indicated the quality of HH. Hand hygiene was considered appropriate if 95+ SHHQ was reached. The integrated reporting system provided real-time statistics about HH at a personal and institutional level.

92 caregivers took part in the program. The average SHHQ achieved by the MICU was 85±18% (mean ± standard deviation) and 89 ±14% by the NICU. Most frequently missed areas were the thumbs and the fingertips. Rate of appropriate HH improved at both units: only 28% of people passed on the first 4 days of the trial, while 81% passed in the last 4 days.

Digital HH training and evaluation allows for systematic, personalized data collection, and it makes it possible to reach a larger fraction of the staff. This technique can reveal typical week points in the caregivers’ HH practices, and can be used efficiently to improve HH quality.


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