Hand Hygiene

Hand Hygiene Compliance

All Ontario hospitals are required to annually post their hand hygiene compliance rates to further promote transparency within the health system. Hand Hygiene Compliance -April 2012 to March 2013   Before Initial Patient/Patient Environment Contact After Patient/Patient Environment Contact QHC Belleville General 84.01% 90.40% QHCNorth Hastings 93.24% 91.21% QHC Prince Edward Country Memorial 87.78% 89.54% QHCTrentonMemorial 87.79% 88.41% All Ontario Hospitals   85.57% 91.21% The hand hygiene compliance rate is calculated by the number of times hand hygiene was performed, divided by the number of observed times hand hygiene should be performed. Hospitals are required to collect at least 200 observations for every 100 patient beds, and at least 50 observations in smaller hospital sites. Patient safety remains the top priority for Quinte Health Care and this involves ensuring that patients are not at risk for contracting health-care associated infections. We have a number of practices in place to prevent and control infections, including a comprehensive hand hygiene program. After being one of 10 hospitals involved in the Just Clean Your Hands pilot project with the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, QHC has now expanded the program across the organization. It is designed to build a culture where infection prevention and control is everyone's business - staff physicians, patients and visitors. The program involves increased education, marketing tools, auditing and alcohol hand rub dispensers near each bedside and other patient care areas. What are health care-associated infections? Sometimes when patients are admitted to the hospital, they can get infections. These are called health care-associated infections. Why is hand hygiene so important? Hand hygiene is an important practice for health care providers and has a significant impact on reducing the spread of infections in hospitals. Hand hygiene is a different way of thinking about safety and patient care and involves everyone in the hospital, including patients and health care providers. What can patients do to help improve their own safety? Hand hygiene involves everyone in the hospital, including patients. Hand cleaning is one of the best ways you and your health care team can prevent the spread of many infections. Patients and their visitors should also practice good hand hygiene before and after entering patient rooms. Follow these five simple steps to keeping hands clean: 1.Wet your hands with warm running water. 2.Add soap, and then rub your hands together, making a soapy lather. Do this away from the running water for at least 15 seconds, being careful not to wash the lather away. Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails. 3.Rinse your hands well under warm running water. 4.Pat hands dry with a paper towel. 5.Turn off water using the same paper towel and dispose in a proper receptacle. Alcohol-based hand rubs should only be used if no visible dirt is present on the hands.Apply enough antiseptic to make about the size of a quarter onto your hands, enough when you rub your hands together to cover all areas of your hands, including under your nails. Use a rubbing motion to evenly distribute the antiseptic product until your hands feel dry.