Hand health high priority at ADMH/Grove Nursing Home
Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Sherry Haaima
Click to Enlarge
EMC News - It's all hands on deck at Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital and the Grove Nursing Home when it comes to hand hygiene.
Sherry Haaima, Metroland
JoAnne Conningham, infection promotion control and occupational health co-ordinator, is leading the charge to improve hand hygiene at Arnprior District Memorial Hospital and The Grove Nursing Home with use of some handy tools.
JoAnne Cunningham, infection promotion control and occupational health co-ordinator, is leading a drive to promote patient and staff safety through better hand hygiene.
Cunningham has been at ADMH since September but has been working in infection control for eight years, getting started in the field just as the SARS epidemic was underway.
She says officials have found that proper hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to reduce the spread of infection within the hospital and beyond.
"Clean hands are important to protect patients, staff, visitors and others," said Cunningham. The goal is to decrease health care-associated infections and transmission of infections.
"Health care associated infections are a real and growing safety issue," said Cunningham. "In Canada, one of every nine patients admitted to hospital each year will obtain an infection and more than 8,000 patients will die from those infections."
The organization's volunteers are playing a big role in the education process, greeting visitors and family members coming through Entrance B and in addition to helping with parking and providing directions, they will be recommending hand washing for those entering and exiting the hospital.
Education for the volunteers, staff and others in the hospital and Grove is ongoing.
The training is often being facilitated with the use of Cunningham's glow germ kit, a device that points out germs left on a person's hands even after washing, with the use of a small black box, bottle of solution and a blacklight.
"People are usually pretty shocked when they see what's left on there," she said.
Education sessions also point out the difference between washing with soap and water and using hand sanitizers.
"When hands are visibly soiled, use soap and water," says Cunningham. "All other times use alcohol-based hand sanitizers."
Sanitizers should be 60-90 per cent alcohol, she said.
It's also important to ensure hands are properly moisturized to prevent cracking. As skin is the body's defense against infection, those with cuts or broken skin on their hands are more susceptible to picking up a virus or infection.
"The skin is our barrier," says Cunningham.
Another common misconception regards the use of antibacterial hand soap, which should be only used once a week or less frequently.
These strip the natural, needed bacteria, making the skin more vulnerable, says Cunningham.
Topping up a container of liquid soap is another no-no. "Bugs love a warm, moist enviroment," says Cunningham.
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care developed a Just Clean Your Hands program to help hospitals, long-term care, retirement homes and individuals overcome barriers to proper hand hygiene and improve compliance with hand hygiene best practices.
blog comments powered by Disqus
