Hand Hygiene

When COVID-19 struck, the proper use of PPE and greater attention to hand hygiene and cleaning surfaces became the norm. When that happened, rates of Clostridium difficile decreased significantly.

Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens of clinical importance in healthcare facilities today.

The results of the study indicate that a closer working relationship between the antimicrobial stewardship program and the infection control team pays off in lower incidence of C. diff.

There’s been a sharp increase in sanitizers that claim to use ethanol, but instead have methanol—or wood alcohol—in them, according to the FDA.

With inadequate disinfection practices, healthcare workers are much more likely to acquire pathogens on their hands after touching these surfaces, potentially passing them on to patients.

It will also be necessary to again train other professionals the way IPs have historically trained them about infection prevention, because a lot of the old rules had to be set aside when COVID-19 surged.

Professional development educators and infection control specialists need to design educational programs that create a lasting behavior change when it comes to hand hygiene.

To enact social change such as better hand hygiene, only about 25% of a group needs to adopt the change and move the rest of the group forward.

Mary Jean Ricci, MSN, RNBC: “There’s also the question of how do we encourage staff to get the vaccination, if there is a vaccination, for COVID-19? Currently, we have employees in facilities caring for patients who do not get the flu vaccine and don’t have a medical reason for not doing it…. I think that that’s a big area where infection control practitioners are going to have to focus their energy to encourage receiving the vaccination when this is over.”

Hand hygiene monitoring devices and systems only work within the confines of a strong hand hygiene culture, a new study says.

Not only did nurse managers feel responsible for the levels of hand hygiene adherence on their wards, but that attitude extended to general standards of infection prevention.

Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens of clinical importance in healthcare facilities today.

Most healthcare staff understand the importance of hand washing, but visual cues for staff and patients are essential in the ongoing education of hand hygiene best practices and are especially helpful for nurses working long shifts. 

For many infection preventionists (IPs), hand hygiene in healthcare facilities is often subpar. National compliance rates tend to fall well under 50% and even with interventions, sustainable improvement is a unicorn IPs are always in search of.

A case of 12 one-ounce bottles was being sold by one lister for $3,892.84, which equals just over $324 per ounce.

About 20% of passengers in an airport have clean hands. If that increases to 30%, a potential infectious disease would have a worldwide impact that is about 24% smaller.

Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens of clinical importance in healthcare facilities today.

Sustainability of high hand hygiene rates is extremely challenging and continuously requires resources and substantial effort.

In this uncertain time of constantly changing news and updates that often stress response efforts, it is important to focus on opportunities for prevention and ensuring staff have the right information.

Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens of clinical importance in healthcare facilities today.

Hand hygiene ambassadors in the lobbies of healthcare institutions are a big hit.

Can silver-coated screens on resident physicians’ cell phones reduce microbial contamination?