Commentary

Hand hygiene is the single most important component of an infection control program. However, compliance remains at or below 50%.1 To improve compliance, a growing number of hand hygiene compliance interventions apply electronics-based technologies in their methods for measurement and feedback. We describe these as automated/semiauto-mated interventions (ASAIs) in recognition of the fact that human data gathering is becoming more automated with technology. Existing peer-reviewed studies are important criteria in evaluating technology concepts.2,3 However, there is little evidence-based research documenting the reliability of installation-ready devices in 1 or more clinical settings. The limited availability of peer-reviewed clinical studies that evaluate and compare installation-ready systems often leaves the infection control team with no option but to make decisions from non-peer-reviewed marketing messages. The number of ASAIs at or nearing availability for health care facilities is increasing steadily, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no centralized effort to sum-marize the opportunities provided by manufacturers and clinical evaluations available in the scientific literature. This descriptive survey provides a process and educa-tional tool for health care workers and infection control teams to use when reviewing unique features of ASAIs. We note, whenever possible, the availability of peer-reviewed clinical research. Methods ASAIs were identified by online searches using the terms electronic hand hygiene monitoring, electronic hand hygiene compliance, and hand hygiene compliance (sort-ing those with electronic interventions) in these sources