Hygiene and Infection Control
Handwashing may seem like a simple matter, but it is too often neglected by time-strapped healthcare professionals, and even more often neglected by members of the public (some of whom may believe that a quick splash of water is sufficient to remove germs). As the best single measure to stop the spread of disease, hand hygiene deserves the attention it is receiving.
LOCAL INITIATIVES
The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM) has webpages devoted to hand washing, and etiquette for coughing and sneezing.
Their information on hand washing describes WHEN to wash your hands, HOW to wash your hands, and has posters, TV ads, and hand washing resources for kids.
Their information on coughing and sneezing etiquette describes how to reduce the spread of germs and disease when coughing and sneezing. They also provide links to TV ads and other resources.
In 2009 the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) launched a hand hygiene awareness pilot program for staff as part of its effort to improve patient safety in hospitals and nursing homes.
STOP! Clean Your Hands.
Canada’s Hand Hygiene Challenge
Canada’s Hand Hygiene Challenge is an initiative to encourage hand hygiene for patient and provider safety in Canada. The first ever Canadian “STOP! Clean Your Hands Day” took place on May 5, 2010. Hand hygiene was also the theme of the 2006 Canadian Patient Safety Week, an annual initiative sponsored by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
Information sheets for patients and families include a guide on hand hygiene, descriptions of what “clostridium difficile” and “MRSA” are, as well as a guide on how to speak with healthcare workers about hand hygiene.
Fact Sheets About Hand Hygiene describe how to handrub and handwash, how to care for hand, skin, and nails, and why there is a need for better hand hygiene.
MORE HANDY RESOURCES
Probably the most amusing resource available is the Scrub Club site, designed by NSF International (formerly the National Sanitation Foundation) to teach children about handwashing through games, activities, songs, and humorous posters.
The Minnesota Department of Health offers materials for teaching hand hygiene to people of all ages including hand washing project ideas for students, children’s books on hand washing, age appropriate curriculum, and a build-your-own hand washing tool kit.
Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care offers a page on why hand washing is important, including why and how to wash hands, as well as how not to.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a lot of information on Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. They describe when you should wash your hands, the right way to wash your hands, what to do if you don’t have soap and clean, running water, and they also list lots of other great resources on hand hygiene.
ADDITIONAL INFECTION CONTROL RESOURCES
Safer Healthcare Now! is a Canadian program that promotes ten evidence-based interventions, four of which are directly related to infection control:
IPAC - Infection Prevention and Control: Reduce superbug transmission with five steps of infection control strategies, including hand hygiene, cleaning equipment and the health care environment, screening, and reporting. Superbugs are antibiotic resistant bacteria, including MRSA, VRE and c-difficile, and are commonly found in Canadian hospitals.
CLI – Prevention of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection: Prevent potentially fatal catheter-related bloodstream infections by following eight guidelines for the insertion and maintenance of a central line.
SSI – Prevention of Surgical Site Infection: Prevent surgical site infections and deaths from such infections by taking specific precautions before and after surgery.
VAP - Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Prevent the leading cause of death among hospital-acquired infections by implementing four essential practices.
See also Research on Infection Control.
