Keeping it clean at HGH

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On May 5th, HGH is launching a video to mark the annual Hand Hygiene Day and to celebrate the success of its hand hygiene program. Staff and volunteers produced the Keep it Clean amateur video to recognize the hospital’s hand hygiene Champions and to engage the whole hospital in a public awareness campaign.

Hand hygiene is an essential component of patient safety and a Ministry of Health and Long Term Care mandatory hospital quality indicator. HGH redesigned its hand hygiene program in early 2015 to improve the quality of care and patient safety.

“Following best practices promoted by Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee (PIDAC), we developed an action plan to address hand hygiene across the hospital. Since then, results have steadily improved and compliance rates now exceed provincial standards set at 80%,” says Denise Picard-Stencer, Vice-President, Acute Care and Chief Nursing Executive and Executive Sponsor of the Hand Hygiene Program.

“As a hospital, we were aiming even higher and we’re very proud to have reached and maintained above 90% compliance rate for the past several months. We achieved this level of success thanks to the collaboration between all departments and the engagement of our 30 Champions, who have publicly shared their commitment to improving hand hygiene,” explains Barbara Crawford Newton, Director of Professional Practice.

Improvements in the compliance rates are the results of modified procedures, hospital-wide awareness, training and monthly monitoring. “We all believe in it and having a Champion in every department really makes a difference. The idea for the video came from our Champions as a learning tool and a tribute to our teamwork. It’s also related to our public awareness campaign, whereas health care providers, we encourage the public to ask us if we washed our hands,” adds Marc Larivière, Infection Control Coordinator.

The Keep it Clean video was shot at the hospital with staff playing their own role and a few acting as patients. The song was written and performed by Debbie Hall, Registered Nurse from the Family Birthing Centre. The video presents the four moments of hand hygiene in a healthcare setting:
• Before initial patient or patient environment contact
• Before aseptic procedure
• After body fluid exposure risk
• After patient or patient environment contact

All staff, volunteers and physicians are invited to watch the video in the boardroom on May 5th, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Coffee and cookies will be served. Keep it Clean is also available on HGH’s website and all are invited to share it on Facebook.