STUDIES Data collection from endoscopy to the emergency room The HH data comes from five functional units: endoscopy/ sonography (internal medicine), endoscopy (urology), delivery room, operating room and emergency room/surgical outpatient clinic. Transponders were used to differentiate between medical and nursing staff, midwives and functional areas. Both pandemic effects and the influence of feedback interventions on volumes per hand disinfection were analysed [2]. Occupational groups and functional units: How volumes varied Overall, volumes per hand disinfection varied between occupational groups and functional units. Medical staff in urological endoscopy used the largest amount of rub per disinfection, while the least was used in internal medicine imaging [2]. COVID-19 pandemic had a greater impact on volumes than interventions The COVID-19 waves had a significant impact on volumes per hand disinfection: at the start of the pandemic, the median values per hand disinfection rose while variability decreased. After a decline, they only increased again with the autumn wave of 2021 – and remained above the initial level post-pandemic. Of 147 ward-based feedback interventions, however, only four showed significant effects on HH behaviour in the functional units [2]. Team training as a potential success factor The study also found that healthcare professionals with similar tasks or who worked closely together developed similar hand disinfection consumption patterns. This suggests that employees could benefit from team-based HH training [2]. Numerous studies have examined the relationship between hand hygiene (HH) and healthcare-associated infections, but most focus on compliance with the „5 moments“ [1] and the quantity of hand disinfections in wards. HH quality and compliance in functional units – where invasive procedures with a particularly high risk of infection take place – are often neglected. However, it is not only the frequency but also the effectiveness of hand disinfection that is crucial. A recent study used the NosoEx® electronic monitoring system to collect HH data from functional units in a German hospital over a period of almost four years, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume per hand disinfection [2] was used as an indicator of HH quality. Hand hygiene in functional units of hospitals Quality vs. quantity: It‘s not just about the quantity References 1. WHO (2009). WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241597906 (accessed on 17 February 2026) 2. Senges C et al. (2026) J Hosp Infect 167: 170-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.10.017 Figure based on [2]. Median hand disinfectant quantities per disinfection in functional units by occupational groups. Box-whisker plots: whiskers for minimum/maximum of the 95% confidence interval, boxes for 1st/3rd quartile, lines in boxes for median, points for outliers. HD = hand disinfection Kreißsaal 1 2 3 4 5 Volumen pro Desinfektion [mL] Endoskopie Urologie 1 2 3 4 5 Volumen pro Desinfektion [mL] Endoskopie/Sonographie Innere Medizin 1 2 3 4 5 Volumen pro Desinfektion [mL] OP 1 2 3 4 5 Volumen pro Desinfektion [mL] Ambulante chirurgische Klinik 1 2 3 4 5 Volumen pro Desinfektion [mL] Pflegekräfte Ärzte Hebammen 1.62 1.96 2.02 2.18 2.63 2.66 2.71 3.41 2.44 2.56 2.92 2.96 Endoscopy/Sonography Internal Medicine Volume per disinfection [mL] Volume per disinfection [mL] Volume per disinfection [mL] Volume per disinfection [mL] Volume per disinfection [mL] OR Endoscopy Urology Outpatient Surgical Clinic Delivery room Caregivers Doctors Midwives 4
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