Which action best reduces the incidence of healthcare-associated infections?

Ensuring ready access to alcohol-based hand rubs is a highly effective strategy for reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Hand hygiene is one of the most critical practices in infection prevention and control. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are effective in killing many types of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses, that can lead to infections. By making these sanitizers readily available, healthcare facilities encourage effective hand hygiene practices among staff, patients, and visitors. This easy access promotes more frequent hand cleaning, particularly in high-traffic areas of healthcare settings, thereby decreasing the likelihood of pathogen transmission and subsequent infections.

In addition, while screening for specific pathogens such as MRSA can help identify carriers and prevent outbreaks, it does not address the broader issue of infection transmission that effective hand hygiene does. Developing automatic antibiotic therapy policies may guide treatment but does not influence how infections are initially prevented. Lastly, while requiring gowns during dressing changes can be important in certain situations, it is not as universally impactful as ensuring that hand hygiene supplies are readily accessible.