HAND HYGIENE Figure 1. Flow Diagram of Literature Search Results
literature on hand hygiene in patient care settings other than the perioperative setting. Editorials, news, and brief items were excluded. Low-quality evidence was excluded when higher-quality evidence was available, and literature outside the time restriction was excluded when literature within the time restriction was available (Figure 1). Articles identified in the search were provided to the
project team for evaluation. The team consisted of the lead author and two evidence appraisers. The lead author divided the search results into topics and assigned mem- bers of the team to review and critically appraise each arti- cle using the AORN Research or Non-Research Evidence Appraisal Tools as appropriate. The literature was indepen- dently evaluated and appraised according to the strength and quality of the evidence. Each article was then assigned an appraisal score. The appraisal score is noted in brackets after each reference as applicable.
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Each recommendation rating is based on a synthesis of
the collective evidence, a benefit-harm assessment, and con- sideration of resource use. The strength of the recommen- dation was determined using the AORN Evidence Rating Model and the quality and consistency of the evidence sup- porting a recommendation. The recommendation strength rating is noted in brackets after each recommendation.
Editor’s note: MEDLINE is a registered trademark of the US National Library of Medicine’s Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, Bethesda, MD. CINAHL, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, is a registered trademark of EBSCO Industries, Birmingham, AL. Scopus is a registered trade- mark of Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
