Easy Hands: Impact of a 3-Step Versus WHO 6-Step Hand Hygiene Technique on Healthcare-Associated Infections in Intensive Care and Hospitalization Units.

Easy Hands: A Cluster Randomized Cross-Over Trial Evaluating a Simplified 3-Step Hand Hygiene Technique Versus the WHO 6-Step Technique on the Incidence of Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs worldwide. Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of infection prevention; however, adherence to the full WHO 6-step hand hygiene technique may be limited in routine clinical practice due to time constraints and workflow barriers. Simplified hand hygiene approaches may improve compliance while preserving clinical effectiveness.

The Easy Hands study is a pragmatic cluster randomized cross-over trial designed to compare a simplified 3-step hand hygiene technique with the standard WHO 6-step technique in clinical care units. Hospital services were randomized to one of two sequences of intervention and crossed over after the first study period. The primary objective is to evaluate whether the simplified 3-step technique is associated with differences in time to first healthcare-associated infection among hospitalized patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Admission to a participating cluster during an active intervention period.
• Adult or pediatric hospitalized patient.
• Availability of admission and discharge dates.
• Eligibility for institutional infection surveillance.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Admission to Emergency Department or Operating Rooms.
• HAI present at baseline (t0).
• HAI occurring during the first two hospital days.