Compliance © stock.adobe.com/au/Vladimir Voronin

and hand washing

and washing is one

and Katherine L Milkman from the University

In fact, researchers discovered that com-

of the absolute basics

of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, studied

pliance rates for hand washing dropped to

of hygiene in food and

compliance with hand-hygiene guidelines

below the levels seen before the monitoring

beverage processing, but

among more than 5200 caregivers at 42

began — a finding that is surprising to both

how do you ensure com-

hospitals for more than three years.

the researchers and healthcare practitioners.

pliance?

They collaborated with Proventix, a

While the findings focused on the health-

Electronic monitoring can be one tool but

company that uses a radiofrequency-based

care profession, Dai said all managers

it isn’t a guaranteed solution.

system to track whether healthcare workers

should take note, no matter their field.

Olin Business School at Washington

wash their hands. More than 20 million hand-

While electronic monitoring is an important

University in St Louis shows that motivat-

hygiene opportunities — incidences when

motivation and compliance tool, it’s a single

ing compliance with standard processes

hand hygiene is expected — were captured,

piece of a larger strategy.

via electronic monitoring can be a highly

each with the potential to prevent, or spread,

effective approach, despite concerns about

a hospital-borne illness or infection.

“Individual electronic monitoring is one tool managers can use to dramatically im-

employee backlash. However, the research

The researchers found that on average,

prove standardised process compliance, but

also highlights that managers cannot simply

electronic monitoring resulted in a large

that it is not a panacea,” Dai said. “Managers

‘monitor and forget’, and that a long-term

increase in hand-hygiene compliance during

looking to build process compliance must

plan for supporting the retention of moni-

their study period. Interestingly, compli-

think about how electronic monitoring fits

toring is critical.

ance initially increased, and then gradually

within a broader system encompassing not

Hengchen Dai, assistant professor of

declined, after approximately two years.

only technology, but also norms, culture and

organisational behaviour at Olin, along with

When electronic monitoring was stopped,

leadership. Managers should not ‘monitor

Bradley A Staats and David Hofmann from

hand-washing rates dropped, suggesting

and forget’.”

the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

that hand-hygiene habits weren’t formed.

42 | PREPARED FOOD - Jun/Jul 2016

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