Hand Hygiene Audit Tool and Template

A hand hygiene audit works by having a trained observer watch real care activity, count every opportunity for hand hygiene, and record whether the staff member cleaned their hands. Your compliance rate is the number of actions performed divided by the number of opportunities observed, multiplied by 100. The template below follows the WHO 5 Moments framework, so you can print it and use it on the unit today.

Check your own infection prevention and control policy before you start. Required methods, targets and audit frequency are set by your facility or health authority, and this template is a general starting point, not a replacement for it.

What is a hand hygiene audit?

A hand hygiene audit is a structured check of how often staff clean their hands when they should. The observer does not judge technique. They count opportunities and record whether the staff member took the action, either with alcohol-based hand rub or with soap and water.

The five moments that create an opportunity are defined in the WHO framework. We explain them in How to Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance in Hospitals.

How do you calculate hand hygiene compliance?

Divide the number of hand hygiene actions performed by the number of opportunities observed, then multiply by 100. Count only the opportunities you actually saw, and count each staff member and each moment separately.

Report the result by unit and by staff role, and by moment where you can. A single overall number hides the pattern. If compliance is high before patient contact but low after touching patient surroundings, that points you to what to train. Compare your rate with the target your facility or health authority sets, since targets differ. For context on how Canadian units have measured against a commonly used 80% target, see Hand Hygiene Compliance Statistics in Canadian Hospitals.

Tips for a fair, usable audit

• Train your observers. Use the same definitions of each moment, so results are comparable between observers and over time.
• Observe real care. Pick different shifts and days. Staff who know they are being watched often behave differently, so keep sessions short.
• Count opportunities, not people. One staff member can create several opportunities in a single visit.
• Give feedback quickly. Share results with the unit soon after the audit, and show the trend over time.

Can GloGerm replace a hand hygiene audit?

No. Direct observation measures whether staff clean their hands when they should. GloGerm shows whether they clean them well. The two checks answer different questions and work best together.

A common approach is to run the audit, find the moments or roles with the lowest compliance, and then run a short GloGerm session with those staff. Apply the gel to clean hands, ask staff to wash as they normally would, and check under a UV lamp. Any glow left behind marks a missed spot. See UV Germ Training vs Other Hand Hygiene Training Methods for how audits and UV training compare.

One hospital study using a Glo Germ-based assessment and training session reported that staff with residual fluorescence after washing fell from 33.75% to 8.75%. Source: Chu et al., Frontiers in Public Health, 28 January 2026. It measured handwashing technique, which is a different thing from audited compliance.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene?

The WHO 5 Moments are before touching a patient, before a clean or aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient, and after touching patient surroundings. An audit counts opportunities against these five moments.

How often should hand hygiene audits be done?

Frequency is set by your facility or health authority. Many programs audit each unit on a regular schedule and feed the results back to staff, so check your infection prevention and control policy for the required interval.