Hand Washing is Important for Your Health!
2-8-2006
Ottumwa - Ottumwa Regional Health Center implemented a new hand hygiene campaign in January. "In 2003, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations set a new national patient safety goal to reduce Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI)," stated Paula Simplot, Infection Control Nurse at Ottumwa Regional. "Research tells us that improving compliance with hand hygiene will help reduce the risk of infection."
"While our associates are already very conscientious about proper hand washing, this campaign will help to promote good hand hygiene." The goals of the campaign are to achieve 100% compliance with hand hygiene and to decrease the risk of infections.
To promote hand hygiene, additional waterless hand sanitizers were placed throughout the hospital to make it easier to comply with hand hygiene. A new educational program was developed for the staff to increase awareness of the importance of hand hygiene to patient safety. Posters have been placed in public and staff areas to remind everyone of the importance of hand hygiene and to encourage patients to participate in the program.
"We are encouraging patients to be proactive in making sure their health care providers have washed their hands. Patients should feel comfortable asking, 'Nurse Paula, have you washed your hands?' I should be able to respond, 'Yes, but I'd be happy to sanitize my hands again if you would like'," said Simplot.
Part of the study is to perform an evaluation. "We will be observing hand hygiene compliance, reporting the volume of cleansing product used, and monitoring infection rates," stated Simplot. "We believe this campaign will keep in the forefront of everyone's mind how important it is for people to use proper hand hygiene.
"We hope our patients and their families will carry the information home with them, realizing the single most important thing anyone can do to keep from becoming sick and spreading illness to others is to clean their hands."
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