U.S. Hospitals Show Dramatic Improvements in Hand Hygiene According to New Leapfrog Report

Percentage of hospitals achieving The Leapfrog Group's Hand Hygiene Standard increased almost sevenfold since 2020, with leaders' compensation increasingly tied to gains, and adoption of key technology doubling

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leapfrog Group, a leading national nonprofit dedicated to advancing patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, announces the release of its 2024 Hand Hygiene Report. Since Leapfrog began public reporting on hand hygiene in 2020, the percentage of hospitals meeting its rigorous standards has soared from 11% to 74% by 2023. The report reveals a 78% rise in hospitals holding leadership directly accountable for hand hygiene through performance reviews or compensation adjustments, suggesting that hand hygiene—and the safety of patients—is increasingly a priority among hospitals.

Improved hand hygiene is a vital intervention for reducing healthcare-associated infections and enhancing patient safety in hospitals, and the Leapfrog standard is the most rigorous in the industry.

"I congratulate hospitals on achieving this dramatic improvement in hand hygiene," said Leah Binder, President and CEO, The Leapfrog Group. "Leapfrog will continue to publicly report each hospital's performance and uphold the highest possible standards for excellence. We believe transparency and high standards truly galvanize change, and we are proud to recognize the hospital leaders, clinicians, and teams that so successfully make that change."

The report also reveals a dramatic increase in the adoption of electronic hand hygiene monitoring systems. In 2020, only 4.7% of hospitals employed such technology; by 2023, this figure has more than doubled to 10%. This growth demonstrates a broader trend toward integrating advanced tools to address the limitations of human observers.

Leapfrog's Hand Hygiene Standard mandates that clinicians and staff adhere to hand hygiene best practices from a national Hand Hygiene Expert Panel and is adapted from the World Health Organization's "Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework." To date, there is no standardized or feasible mechanism to measure actual compliance levels among staff within each individual hospital; Leapfrog verifies evidence-based best practices known to achieve high levels of compliance are in place.

Hospitals are evaluated across five key domains:

• Monitoring: Checking if hand washing is done correctly and often enough.
• Feedback: Using data to see how well hand hygiene practices are followed and drive improvements.
• Training and Education: Teaching the right way to wash hands through physical demonstration.
• Infrastructure: Making sure there are enough hand sanitizer dispensers and washing stations.
• Culture: Establishing a strong focus on hand hygiene at every organizational level.

"Hand hygiene is fundamental to preventing infections in all health care settings, as pathogens on unclean hands can easily spread between patients or contaminate clean surfaces," said Emily Landon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and Leapfrog Expert Panelist. "While the report highlights a dramatic improvement in hand hygiene practices, continued vigilance is essential to sustaining progress and closing gaps in compliance to protect more patients. So, we are grateful that Leapfrog continues to report on this critical standard."

For more information on the 2024 Hand Hygiene Report and The Leapfrog Group's other data and reports on patient safety, please visit Leapfrog's website.  

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter.  

SOURCE The Leapfrog Group