Infection Evidence Confirms Value Of Frequent Caregiver Handwashing Electronic monitoring drives handwashing up and HAIs down Recent caregiver research provides the previously missing evidence between increased handwashing and decreased patient infections. These research studies are important tools in recruiting support for this patient protecting investment in electronic monitoring of handwashing policy compliance.
Myth #1: 479,000 Annual HAI Deaths Will Persist As Our Cultural Norm
Complacency paralyzes progress in hospitals & nursing homes The combined annual death rate from Healthcare Acquired Infections, Acute Care and Long-Term Care (LTC) add up to 479,000. This disaster, a daily disaster, illustrates the Normalcy Bias where improbability blocks reality and reason. Breaking this Normalcy Bias will save many lives, likely tens of thousands per […]
Pathogen Pathway Pictorials for Healthcare C-Suites
Handwashing becomes the backstop for the surface contamination in nursing homes Dr. Kelly Reynolds, University of Arizona researcher, shares her experience in long-term care where the homelike environment challenges staff to keep pace with surface cleanliness standards. She finds that busy C-Suite decision-makers appreciate converting complicated research studies into pictures. The referenced nursing home research […]
The Engaged Hand Washer: Patient Protector #1
APIC 2019 Handwashing Preview Handwashing remains a process basically out of control in healthcare. There are no clear standards, thus no variance reports and no objective data to reward success or discipline nonperformance. Unwashed hands endanger brands and are a major contributing factor to the 479,000 annual deaths attributed to infections acquired in hospitals and […]
Pairing Electronic Faucets with E-Monitoring Handwash Systems
Synergies pay off between water & new process control technologies Water is obviously a key element of a good handwash, especially in the era of controlling the spread of C. diff. As in most everything else, some manufacturers have invested more than others, in this case to serve up the wash-ready water with utmost speed, […]
Handwashing Data Does Drive Down HAI Rates
Don’t let research-reading-fatigue blur this game-changer It is commonly accepted that increased hand hygiene compliance can reduce HAI rates. There is an abundance of evidence that electronic monitoring of hand hygiene does increase compliance but this study goes that important step into new territory. “An automated hand hygiene compliance system is associated with decreased rates […]
The Why Of Healthcare’s Unwashed Hands
Would the Owner of the Problem Please Step Forward APIC 2018 provided the venue to check in with caregivers as to why handwashing compliance numbers continue to fall short of a safe level. (The research was sponsored by Chicago Faucets, creators of the best-in-class HyTronic™ faucet with its integrated hand-held data gathering device, Commander™.) The overarching objective […]
Owning the New Joint Commission Standard for Handwashing
The Joint Commission’s new zero-tolerance standard for handwashing is proving to be the end of the line for many facilities who have long accepted the flawed compliance standard perpetuated by the misinformation of observation-only monitoring. This dramatic change calls on the “owner” of the handwashing accountability to step forward. “Who is it?” is the focal […]
Handwashing: Overcoming The E-Monitoring Myth
Who owns healthcare handwashing? All caregivers care. All wash their hands. Their patients or residents are important to them or they would not work in this challenging field. This doesn’t mean that they meet the standards of care each and every moment of every shift. Drifting off the path of handwashing policy happens easily because […]
The Joint Commission’s New No-Nonsense Handwashing Policy
Providers pay the price for dishonest compliance reporting Handwashing For Life® serves as an Ambassador for The Joint Commission’s Targeted Solutions Tool®. Behavior change and the shared goal of sustainable handwashing compliance brought the two organizations together. This new surveyor standard of zero-tolerance is a multiplier for measurement, in keeping with the overarching standard of […]
