A Service Improvement Plan for Enhancing Hand Hygiene Compliance: A Critical Appraisal and Evidence-Based Approach

Abstract

This service improvement plan will critically appraise the principles of infection prevention and control (IPC) by developing a structured response to the findings of a clinical audit. The overarching aim is to enhance patient safety and care quality within a National Health Service (NHS) setting, aligning with the core objectives of the NHS Constitution and the regulatory framework of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The main focus of this plan is hand hygiene, a fundamental component of standard precautions and the primary defence against healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). HCAIs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, are considered major risks to patient safety and large costs for the NHS, also contributing to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE]. Although it is very critical for the known importance of hand hygiene, health care systems worldwide still have the same problem, as the compliance of hand hygiene keeps on being not up to the required level. This situation points to a complicated interaction between personal behaviour, organizational culture, and the context surrounding it.