Hygiene at work in hospitals
October 1st 2005 Hand hygiene compliance in hospitals is not nearly as high as it should be. Tork manufacturer SCA Tissue Europe has implemented a simple but effective Tork Hygiene at Work scheme that aims to improve hand hygiene in UK healthcare institutions - and measure the results.The company's Kelvin Hefford explains how it works
Scarcely a day goes by without a new story in the British media about poor hygiene standards in UK hospitals. Reports of escalating MRSA levels and the emergence of the new Clostridium Difficile infection are a major cause for concern, and every healthcare employee must be aware of the importance of washing his or her hands
But some are still failing to carry out this very simple task. A recent report by healthcare watchdogs at a Suffolk hospital discovered that fewer than one in 10 of the institution's doctors washed their hands. A second study carried out in Yorkshire by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health found that only 46 per cent of staff washed their hands between patients. Hospital-acquired infections are costing the UK around £1billion a year, and inadequate hand hygiene has been widely recognised as a major factor. Yet it takes an average of just 10 seconds to wash the hands.
Several attempts have been made over the years to educate doctors and nurses about the risks posed by inadequate hand hygiene. But handwashing tends to be a private matter and is therefore difficult to enforce - and also difficult to measure.
Now we at SCA Tissue Europe have launched our own Tork Hygiene at Work scheme designed to improve hand hygiene in UK hospitals.
Besides offering hygiene training to staff, the package also comprises washroom surveys and staff questionnaires that enable hospitals to assess the effectiveness of the scheme.
In-depth training provided in Tork Hygiene at Work aims to raise awareness of the specific activities that can cause cross-contamination in hospitals. For example, bacteria can be transferred between staff and patients via the hands, clothing, bedclothes, surgical instruments, food and door handles. In fact a hospital door handle touched by a person who has not washed their hands may contaminate the hands of the next 14 people who use it.
The training also covers topics such as why hospital-acquired infections occur; why they are increasing and which are the European "hotspots" for such infections. Good handwashing techniques are discussed and equipment such as gloves and alcohol rubs are covered.
Tork Hygiene at Work is available in two versions - one for long-term care facilities and the other for acute hospitals – and is carried out at the hospital by our own Tork staff and distributors.
A full survey of the hospital's washroom facilities is also carried out, and an inventory is made of facilities required to optimise washroom hygiene. Emphasis is placed on the provision of good quality products in sufficient quantities in order to encourage hand hygiene among staff. Textile towels harbour bacteria and transfer them on to the hands of the next user, while research indicates that warm air dryers may recontaminate the hands with bacteria-laden air.
Disposable hand towels are therefore the hygienic option, and these should be soft and of a high quality. Besides being user-friendly, towels that are soft and strong will absorb three times as much moisture - and nearly three times faster - than poor quality towels.
Our staff will suggest which products to provide and offer advice on where to install them in order to increase their effectiveness and reduce any waste. Tork Hygiene at Work also includes a complete range of communication materials including stickers, posters and leaflets.
The scheme offers an optional second module that analyses hand towel and soap consumption both before and after its implementation to assess whether or not hand hygiene has improved as a result of Tork Hygiene at Work. Staff and patient questionnaires are used to discover people's reactions to the programme, and we at SCA then evaluate the results and create a report for the healthcare unit.
Hospital chiefs and infection control nurses are doing everything they can to curb the problem of hospital-acquired infections, but at least 5000 people in the UK are still dying as a result of such infections each year.
The realisation that hand hygiene can make a huge difference to infection rates is leading to increasing calls for action across the board.
In fact, the National Patient Safety Agency has just launched its own national campaign aimed at reducing infections in NHS hospitals.
The NPSA's Clean Your Hands campaign strives to involve patients in improving hand hygiene while also providing alcohol rubs at staff/patient contact areas and displaying posters and leaflets exhorting staff to wash their hands.
When assessing the costs of launching such a campaign, the Department of Health calculated that these would be offset completely if Clean Your Hands were to lead even to a modest 0.1% reduction in hospital-acquired infection rates.
It is clear that hospitals can no longer afford to withhold the time, effort and budget required for improving hand hygiene. By acting now, they will undoubtedly save the NHS valuable funds - and more importantly, they will also be saving lives.
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