Handwashing transparency valued by Millennials Those foodservice operators who invested in handwash monitoring because of Norovirus concerns now add another, even more topical and contagious virus to their hit-list, Coronavirus. While these pathogens have many technical differences the two viruses share the property of living on hands and surfaces for a day or more. Coronavirus […]
Myth #3: Tight budgets eliminate investment in new handwash monitoring technology.
Infection Budgeting Add facts to ignite a patient priority for electronic handwash monitoring Tight budgets are perhaps the easiest way to avoid change and hide behind a culture of the status quo. Facing the budget process with evidence is a game-changer. Facts driven by electronic handwashing monitoring can convert the budget hawks into allies for […]
Myth #2: Electronic monitoring raises handwashing compliance but doesn’t lower HAIs.
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 […]
The Engaged Handwasher: Brand Protector #1
Chicago’s recent Food Safety Summit was the latest venue for brand-protecting professionals to gather and assess new technologies. Educational sessions frequently put handwashing under the collaborative microscope and at the top of the list of potential outbreak-reducing actions, following HACCP’s advice to take on the biggest risk first. Similarly, hand hygiene discussions rippled through the […]
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 […]
