Just came across a very interesting blog and article explaining that a recent study demonstrates beyond doubt that hospitals were employees systematically wash their hands decrease deaths due to infections. The article explains how "the current New England Journal of Medicine reports on a study conducted in Michigan hospitals" :
And it worked, big-time. “The results are pretty breathtaking,†Dr. Peter Pronovost, a Johns Hopkins researcher and the lead author of the study told the Baltimore Sun. “The numbers of infections went down quickly and they stayed down.â€