Healthcare workers are more likely to wash their hands if patients are asked to monitor them, according to a new study. It details an 11-month pilot project at the Family Practice Health Center at Women's College Hospital in Toronto. Patients were asked to observe and record the hand hygiene habits of their healthcare providers, who were aware that they were being watched. Nearly 97 percent of the healthcare workers washed their hands before direct contact with their patients, according to the study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.