Evaluation of group feedback and rewards for improving infection-control adherence in an outpatient ABA clinic

Infection-control practices depend on environmental conditions that support safe performance, and when those conditions are compromised, infection risk rises for workers and patients. Outpatient Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinics serving individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities involve close-contact care that can make consistent staff adherence to infection-control practices difficult to sustain. This study evaluated a multicomponent interdependent group contingency to improve infection-control adherence among direct-care staff at an outpatient ABA clinic. The intervention combined group-level feedback and non-monetary rewards, with adherence measured by a nine-item infection control checklist. Using a multiple baseline design across shifts, each group demonstrated immediate improvement, achieving the 80% checklist-adherence criterion for three consecutive observations, and contacting the group reward within five opportunities. Results support the use of group feedback and non-monetary rewards to sustain infection-control practices under operational constraints, offering a feasible approach for healthcare and human service settings.