As part of its clean-hands campaign, St. Mary has distributed refrigerator magnets outlining the five steps for proper hand washing and it will release an upcoming calendar featuring employees washing their hands and tips for proper washing.

By far, though, the light box pilot program has become the most popular gimmick since is started appearing last month in the cafeteria, lobbies and other heavily traveled areas of the hospital.

Many hospitals have taken traditional approaches to infection control, including mandatory staff education, posters promoting hand washing, motion detector-powered towel dispensers in bathrooms and waterless hand sanitizer dispensers throughout their buildings - especially at entrances and outside patient rooms.

At St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, a chocolate bar incentive program in the medical surgical unit has led to a 96 percent hand-washing compliance rate and zero hospital-acquired infections in the last six months.

In recent months, Abington Memorial Hospital has posted screensavers on its computers with messages about hand washing. The hospital has set a hand hygiene goal for 2008. If it's met, employees will get a bonus.

Frankford Hospitals, which has campuses in Bucks and Philadelphia, has found the light box germ detector increases public awareness, said Debra Miller, director of infection control.

Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township also conducts random audits of staff - including those with no direct patient contact - for proper hygiene for bare and gloved hands, spokesman Bob Harris said. About 100 staffers are inspected every month.

Employees also take a written test with 22 questions about hand hygiene and they're observed washing their hands. Anyone who doesn't score 100 percent is flagged for "follow up," Harris said. What that means is the employee is supervised until he understands the proper methods.