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Hand Hygiene Compliance Calculator

Work out hand hygiene compliance instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Hand Hygiene Compliance Calculator

Divides observed hand hygiene actions by observed opportunities, following the WHO five moments observation method.

Formula

Compliance rate

Compliance (%) = hand hygiene actions / opportunities x 100, where each of the WHO five moments is one opportunity

Worked example

With the default values below, Hand Hygiene Compliance Calculator returns Hand hygiene compliance of 85.00%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Hand hygiene actions observedaccepts 0–10,000
85
Opportunities observedaccepts 1–10,000
100

Results

Hand hygiene compliance
85.00%
Missed opportunities
15
Gap to a 95% target
10.00%
Assessment
Approaching target

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Compliance rate
  3. 3Hand hygiene compliance= 85.00
  4. 4Missed opportunities= 15
  5. 5Gap to a 95% target= 10.00
  6. 6Assessment= Approaching target

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the five moments?

Before patient contact, before an aseptic task, after body fluid exposure, after patient contact and after contact with patient surroundings.

Why does observed compliance overstate reality?

The Hawthorne effect: compliance rises when staff know they are being watched.

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