In light of the recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decision to allow alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in egress corridors, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is stressing the importance of hand hygiene to health care workers and consumers.
APIC seizes ruling to stress hand hygiene
APIC seizes ruling to stress hand hygiene
Calling on HCWs, patients, administrators
In light of the recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decision to allow alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers in egress corridors, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is stressing the importance of hand hygiene to health care workers and consumers. APIC recently posted some key points on its web site, summarized as follows:
- Everyone’s Business: Despite the fact that hand hygiene remains the most simple and effective means of reducing the transmission of germs, many clinicians do not consistently follow hand-hygiene recommendations. Prevention is everyone’s business — that of health care providers, administrators, and patients. Infection prevention experts recognize that this recent change in regulations provides still further opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of hand hygiene either by the traditional soap-and-water method or by the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
APIC and other organizations collaborated with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations last year to introduce the Speak Up initiative, designed to encourage patients to play an active role in their health care by asking questions and requesting that their clinicians wash their hands before performing an examination. - How You Can Help: It will take a concerted and sustained effort to improve overall adherence to hand hygiene, since everyone has a role to play in reducing infections. Remember that we are all "patients-in-waiting" — we never know when we’ll be on the receiving end of health care.
- Health Care Workers: Please remember to follow hand-hygiene recommendations between each and every patient: Wash with soap and water if your hands are visibly soiled; otherwise use the alcohol-based hand sanitizer for decontaminating hands during patient care. In any instance when a sink is not readily available, please make use of these hand sanitizers. Remember that your patients need reassurance that you have cleaned your hands before seeing them. Do this as you enter the room and tell them what you are doing. Don’t leave them to wonder or feel embarrassed by having to ask you first.
- Health Care Administrators: Please lend your voice to the cause. You have the opportunity to help reduce the overall incidence of health care-associated infections by urging adherence to this one simple practice. Infection prevention experts cannot achieve this alone; we need your support to ensure proper compliance and availability of products.
- Patients: Continue to ask questions, and continue to request that your clinicians clean their hands by either washing with soap and water or using a waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer before touching you or your environment. Make hand washing a habit of everyday life and help your family members understand the importance of this practice. Remember that you are an equal partner in ensuring your own wellness.
- Media: Please help us to stress the importance of hand hygiene to the general public and the fact that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are safe and effective for this purpose. The public voice is a strong one, and we need their support in enhancing efforts to curb the spread of infection.