Recent Posts
Poor Hand Hygiene Contributed to 10 Children’s Deaths
The situation in New Jersey is tragic. An adenovirus outbreak at a rehab facility has killed ten children and sickened 30 others[1] to date. Unfortunately, suffering and death from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is not uncommon. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that 10% of hospital patients in developed countries will develop an HAI[2]. In the past, the public has largely remained blissfully ignorant about HAIs, but that’s changing as more consumer media outlets are reporting on outbreaks,
3 Steps to Improve Direct Observation
We’ve been frequent critics of using Direct Observation to measure and impact hand hygiene performance (more here). Still, we hear from some hospitals who report that they can’t invest in an electronic hand hygiene reminder system this year…so what should they do? Here are three steps to improve the accuracy of Direct Observation. First, do what you can to minimize the Hawthorne Effect. This effect says that people will modify their behavior when they know they’re being observed[1].
Why Hand Hygiene is Always “Someone Else’s Problem”
In the fictional town of “Lake Wobegon” from A Prairie Home Companion, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” All joking aside, of course it’s impossible for “all” (or even “most”) of any group to be “above average.” But that’s exactly how healthcare providers see themselves when it comes to hand hygiene. Last week, we wrote about the survey that we give the clinical staff when our system
They Think They’re Cleaning Their Hands…They’re Wrong
If you take an honest look at hand hygiene literature, it’s widely reported that hand hygiene in the US remains well below 50%. That said, when you speak with most hospital leaders, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who will acknowledge that their hand hygiene rates are this low…or even that they have any problem at all! Have you ever found a clinician who admits they wash their hands less than half the time? We asked this
Becker’s Hospital Review: 3 ways to reduce HAIs
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a scourge of every hospital, harming patients, increasing costs and length of stay, and burdening busy healthcare providers. Three main risk factors contribute to HAIs; understanding them is the key to prevention. First: Patient Risk Factors Patients with compromised immune systems (young, elderly, diabetic, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, etc.) are naturally at a higher risk for HAIs. There’s no way to change a patient’s age, of course, but some patients can be medically optimized
Concierge Contact Tracing™ In Action
If a newly-admitted patient contracts an infection, do you know if they caught it at your hospital, or in the community prior to admittance? If a unit has a C. diff outbreak, do you have a way to identify which providers interacted with those patients? Or which ones used soap and water? What about the next patient with a cough who ends up getting diagnosed with TB without being in an isolation room? Do you know which providers
Healthcare Purchasing News: Infection Prevention – Easy Does It
Improving hand-hygiene compliance with mild, effective products and enhanced accountability By Susan Cantrell Big news from The Joint Commission recently provided more motivation for better-performing hand-hygiene (HH) programs. Effective January 1, 2018, “. . . any observation by surveyors of individual failure to perform hand hygiene in the process of direct patient care will be cited as a deficiency resulting in a Requirement for Improvement (RFI) under the Infection Prevention and Control (IC) chapter for all accreditation programs.”1 The Joint
Can You Remember the 5 Moments?
The World Health Organization established the “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” in 2007. These guidelines define key moments when healthcare workers (HCWs) should perform hand hygiene (HH). The 5 Moments are designed to keep patients – and the healthcare workers themselves – safer. The World Health Organization has been lauded for this model, deservedly so. However, can HCWs actually remember each of the 5 moments? A recent study suggests they typically do not. Before we delve into
Hypepotamus: Finalists Chosen For the Second Annual Atlanta Startup Awards
By Angela King It’s your duty to the startup community — it’s time to vote for Atlanta Startup Awards finalists! It’s that time of the year when we recognize and highlight the work of local founders and startup ecosystem builders. The second annual Atlanta Startup Awards, jointly organized by members of the Atlanta startup community, will celebrate the city’s most successful rising tech companies, startup pioneers and disruptive innovators (I wouldn’t miss this!) After an open nomination process, three finalists
If Hand Hygiene Performance Isn’t the Most Important Metric…What Is?
You might think it odd that an electronic hand hygiene reminder system would say that hand hygiene performance isn’t the most important metric to measure and try to improve. If it isn’t, then what is? Missed opportunities. Let’s look at an example comparing Nurse Robert with Nurse Anna. Robert has a hand hygiene performance rate of 30%, while Anna’s is 80%. At first glance, it appears that Robert needs to go back to Hand Hygiene School, while Anna