Judy Prescott, RN, BSN, CIC, Manager, Epidemiology, William Sutker, MD, Medical Director, Epidemiology, Cristie Columbus, MD, Assistant Medical Director, Epidemiology, Fidelina Valencia, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Allen Peden, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Connie Izzo, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Janette Brown, RN, Epidemiology Nurse, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Issue: Despite compelling evidence that hand hygiene can prevent transmission of infections and contamination of the environment, compliance to recommended hand hygiene practices remains extremely low for the healthcare worker and the general public. Although improving hand hygiene is a primary focus for most healthcare facilities, the access to facilities for hand hygiene remains behind closed doors of restrooms, within the walls of the nursing stations, and in the patient rooms. Providing accessibly to hand hygiene is critical to improving hand hygiene compliance.
Project: The Epidemiology Team began looking for options to provide accessibility to hand hygiene from the time the person stepped into any door of the facility. A search for a free standing hand hygiene station was limited. An ICP observed a hand hygiene station in a children's play area at a local mall. This was a large stainless steel station with alcohol gel automatic dispensing and three sides with large advertising signage. When contacted, the company did not sell the station but made their profit from the advertising. They at first were reluctant to sell a station but eventually saw a marketing strategy to a cutting edge concept for healthcare. The team worked with this company to purchase two stations outright. The hospital Marketing Department developed hand hygiene signage to go into the stations that was simple and eye catching. The stations were placed just inside the doors to the hospital and in the 70 bed Emergency Department lobby.
Results: The hand hygiene stations were an immediate success. The bag of gel which has 1000 uses requires a new bag every three days for the units. As a result of the success, additional smaller free standing hand hygiene stations have been placed at each entrance to every nursing unit. On a recent Joint Commission visit, the surveyors were impressed with the availability of hand hygiene and observed use of the stations.
Lessons Learned: Utilizing technology that is not intended for heathcare can assist in developing a hand hygiene culture. Thinking outside of the box to improve hand hygiene has provided easily accessible and highly visible opportunities for sanitizing hands in frequently used traffic patterns for visitors, physicians, staff and others that may enter the facility.
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