JAMA
Vol. 304 No. 10, pp. 1041-1140, September 8, 2010
http://jama.ama-assn.org/current.dtl

Commentaries
Public Reporting of Hospital Hand Hygiene Compliance—Helpful or Harmful?
Matthew P. Muller; Allan S. Detsky

[First 150 words per JAMA convention; we include this commentary as it relates to public reporting strategies associated with HCW influenza immunization uptake]

Public reporting of hospital performance has been proposed as a means of improving quality of care while ensuring both transparency and accountability.1 Organizations feel pressure to perform well, deriving from their desire to protect market share and defend reputations. This pressure, if effectively harnessed, can lead to an increase in quality improvement activities and better patient outcomes, although the evidence supporting the latter claim is mixed.1

In 2002, it was estimated that approximately 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and 99 000 HAI-related deaths occurred in the United States each year.2 Hand hygiene is considered the most important strategy to prevent HAIs.3 Since 2002, an increasing number of US states have mandated public reporting of quality indicators related to HAI prevention; to date, none have included reports of hand hygiene compliance in their mandates. This Commentary suggests the need for caution…