4 WORST PRACTICES FOR HAND HYGIENE: New expert guidance on hand hygiene, published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, lays out the following four hand hygiene habits to avoid.
PATIENTS CAN ‘ BE THE DIFFERENCE’ IN HAND HYGIENE EFFORTS: When it comes to lapses in hand hygiene protocol, the contaminated fingers are often pointed at healthcare professionals. But while healthcare providers should be taking the lead on hand hygiene compliance initiatives, patients also play a critical role in helping prevent infections by following the same principles and guidelines.
PATIENT SAFETY TOOL: IHI's GUIDE TO IMPROVING HAND HYGIENE: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America, offers a how-to guide for improving hand hygiene in healthcare settings.
HAND HYGIENE BEFORE GLOVING: NEEDED OR NEEDLESS: A randomized trial performed by investigators at the University of Maryland Hospital of 115 healthcare providers preparing to enter contact isolation rooms in intensive care units (ICUs) were randomly assigned to perform routine hand hygiene with an alcohol-based gel just before donning nonsterile gloves, while an equally sized group donned gloves without first performing hand hygiene. Hand cultures were taken from both groups at baseline and after donning gloves. (Initial login required)
FDA TAKING CLOSER LOOK AT ‘ANTIBACTERIAL’ SOAP: FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been closely collaborating on science and regulatory issues related to triclosan. This joint effort will help to ensure government-wide consistency in the regulation of the chemical. The two agencies are reviewing the effects of triclosan from two different perspectives.
SAVE LIVES: CLEAN YOUR HANDS - WHO's 2014 GLOBAL ANNUAL CAMPAIGN:
A paradigm shift has occurred in our world that cannot be reversed – multidrug resistant pathogens are here to stay – make sure you manage these through infection prevention action. The WHO call to action in support of 5 May 2014 will be launched shortly; you will soon be able to find out how you can be involved in this year’s theme of AMR and hand hygiene.
OVERCOMING PATIENT BARRIERS TO DISCUSSING PHYSICIAN HAND HYGIENE: Despite agreement that handwashing decreases hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), physician hand hygiene remains suboptimal. Interventions to empower patients to discuss handwashing have had variable success. This article helps understand patient perceived barriers to discussing physician hand hygiene and to determine whether patients prefer electronic alerts over printed information as an intervention to discuss physician handwashing. (Initial login required)
STUDY: CONTACT PRECAUTIONS LINKED TO BETTER HAND HYGIENE: Healthcare workers' hand hygiene compliance was higher when patients were under contact precautions — measures taken to reduce the spread of infection — compared with the hospital population overall, according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control.
MAKING HAND HYGIENE PERSONAL: CAREGIVER-SPECIFIC DATA TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE: Hands of the healthcare workers are one of the primary mechanisms by which infectious diseases are spread among patients in healthcare institutions and researchers have suggested that individual compliance rates are the most effective means of delivering performance feedback, and according to a study in PLOS ONE, individualized performance feedback doubles the likelihood a healthcare worker will cleanse his hands.
WHY DOES LOW HAND HYGIENE COMPLIANCE STILL PLAGUE HEALTHCARE? 4 REASONS: Felix Aguirre, MD, vice president of medical affairs at IPC The Hospitalist Company; Allison Aiello, PhD, MS, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor and a member of the Tork Green Hygiene Council; and Mark Graban, chief improvement officer of KaiNexus, provide insight into why hand hygiene rates among healthcare workers remain low despite roughly 190 years of knowledge of its effectiveness in stopping the spread of infections.
4 ESSENTIALS OF HAND HYGIENE EDUCATION PROGRAMS: Renee Watson, RNC, BSN, CPHQ, CIC, manager of infection prevention and epidemiology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta discusses how they increased hand hygiene compliance rates from 40 percent in 2006 to 98.4 percent in 2012. Ms. Watson shares some tips on what a healthcare organization's hand hygiene education program should include.
HOW TO GUIDE: TO IMPROVING HAND HYGIENE: A guide to help organizations reduce healthcare-associated infections, including infections due to antibiotic-resistant organisms, by improving hand hygiene practices and use of gloves among health care workers.
ALCOHOL-BASED HANDRUB PLANNING AND COSTING TOOL: Guidance to help healthcare facilities senior managers conceptualize the necessary steps for implementation and assists in making decisions in relation to infrastructural and economic information.
HAND HYGIENE MONITORING TOOL: Example of a Hand Hygiene Monitoring Tool which can be modified as appropriate, according to facility requirements, policies, or improvement needs.
