It’s World Hand Hygiene Awareness Day!

You’ve heard it time and again – hand hygiene is the easiest and most effective way to prevent the spread of germs and pathogens in a health care setting.

And you’ve heard it often because it’s true!

That’s why the organization is focused on improving hand hygiene compliance and preventing hospital-acquired infections.

Here are ways you can lend a helping hand on Michigan Medicine’s journey to zero harm:

Keep them clean

There are a number of ways you can practice hand hygiene while at work:

• Wash hands with soap and water when hands are visibly dirty, soiled or contaminated. Or, when caring for a patient in Contact-D precautions.
• Use an alcohol-based hand rub (Purell) when hands are not visibly soiled.
• Clean before environmental and patient contact, and before donning gloves.
• Clean after removing gloves and when leaving the patient care area.

Clean-remind-thank

There are three easy behaviors to remember when it comes to hand hygiene: clean-remind-thank.

What does that mean?

• Clean in and out of patient care areas and between dirty and clean tasks.
• Remind someone if they forget.
• Thank someone if you are reminded to practice hand hygiene.

These vital behaviors will help improve your safety – as well as the safety of everyone around you.

12 units earn recognition in April

Congratulations to the following units, which received the highest hand hygiene compliance scores at U-M Health in April! Those units are: 12E, Neuro ICU, 8C, 8E, pediatric ED, CPU prep/recovery, ECT, MPU prep/recovery, MSSU Blue, SSS, UH PACU, portable imaging.

Each of those units will be added to the Infection Prevention & Epidemiology Hand Hygiene Honor Roll, along with: CVC5, 12W, 4B, EVS, 5A, 5C, SICU, PCTU, MSSU Maize, PICU, PFANS, 11W, UH OR, 4C, adult ED, 7E, CICU, 8B, CCMU, CVICU, Mott PACU, 8DNS, CVC PACU, Brandon NICU, 8A, 7C, lab/phlebotomy, 5B, 6C, 6B, CVC OR.

To see the hand hygiene compliance numbers in your area, click here.

Thank you for playing your part in practicing excellent hand hygiene at Michigan Medicine!