Saungi McCalla, MSN, MPH, RN,CIC, Director of Infection Control; Paul Quinn, MSN, CNM, RN-BC, NE-BC, CEN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse Specialist; Xiaohong Yu, M.Ed, RN; Clinical Information Coordinator, White Plains Hospital Center, White Plains, NY.
Issue: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand hygiene is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. Hand Hygiene compliance among healthcare workers is poor, less than 40% globally with many healthcare-acquired infections being transmitted on the hands of health care workers. Since many disease causing germs are spread by the hands, patients are also at risk from themselves and visitors. The “Return to Hand Hygiene” Initiative was designed to re-energize all hospital staff about hand hygiene and to educate and engage patients, families and visitors toward taking an active role in improving hand hygiene compliance in this 300-bed community hospital where hand hygiene statistics were as low as 59.3%.
Project: During International Infection Prevention Week, October, 2008, the Infection Control Department launched a hospital- wide Hand Hygiene campaign incorporating administrative support, Hand Hygiene education fairs for staff and extensive communication and marketing. Patients were educated to ask everyone who enters their room to wash or sanitize their hands, including all visitors. The team effort heralded the slogan “Hand hygiene is everyone's responsibility¼..Help us fight infections!” To facilitate this effort the hospital provided a gift bag to patients with a bottle of alcohol- based hand sanitizer, an informational card and a brochure (English and Spanish) educating them on the importance of hand hygiene, along with a pen and pad containing the slogan. All staff continues to wear buttons that read, “It's O.K. to Ask”.
Results: Overwhelmingly successful results demonstrate that over 600 employees were educated through this program. Our hand hygiene compliance rates increased to 93% in October and 95% in November. The hand hygiene gift bags were well received by patients and many remarked that the education materials were very informative. In addition, patients reported that the accessibility of the hand sanitizers at the bedside made it easier for them to comply with hand hygiene. Staff is also noticing that some patients are taking the initiative to ask them and their visitors to wash their hands before touching them.
Lesson Learned/Implications: An energetic, vigorous Hand Hygiene initiative can prove useful to institutions where motivation and enthusiasm for its importance are lacking. By providing education in a fun, festive manner, necessary information was able to be disseminated and the involvement of staff, patients, families, and visitors conveyed the global importance of reducing hospital-acquired infections. By providing a unique free give-away gift bag to each patient, interest, awareness and engagement was promoted and the overall sustainability of the program was assured. Similar programs can improve hand hygiene compliance to reach the Joint Commission's recommendation of greater than 90%.
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