 Healthcare&HospitalHygiene Improving hand hygiene compliance


We are all aware that in recent years there has been an increased focus on improving infection prevention and hand hygiene in healthcare settings, with the particular aim of reducing hospital acquired infections. Fromhospitals,medical centres, surgeries and clinics to occupational health environ- ments, community care settings, nursing homes and care homes, there are two key issues that healthcare hand hygiene is con- cerned with: • Patient care - ensuring that the hands


of staff are clean and decontaminated as appropriate, helping to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses. • Staff care - with the high frequency of


hand washing and hand sanitising de- manded, ensuring staffmaintain good skin condition can be a challenge. So, what can be done to help drive im-


provements across all departments and working environments? Deb Ltd has gained a deep insight into the factors that affect skin care compliance by working with healthcare professionals, to increase levels of hand hygiene, for over 25 years. As such, Deb offers advice on how to drive improve- ments and encourage behavioural change amongst colleagues, patients and visitors to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses. Phil Spark,marketing director at Deb,


said: “Firstly, it is imperative that you select hand hygiene products that will encourage ‘best practice’ to achieve safe and accept- able levels of patient and staff care. It is also important that the skin care products are not only effective, but they are pleasant and easy to use. This in turn will lead to high levels of acceptance, thereby increas- ing hand hygiene compliance.Maintaining good skin condition is vital to protecting the health of both staff and patients. Indeed, we are all aware that poor skin condition can reduce levels of hand hygiene compliance and increase the risk of infections being spread whereas good skin condition can in- crease compliance and help to reduce the risk of hospital acquired infections.” To encourage ‘best practice’ and achieve


maximumhand hygiene compliance, prod- ucts should accommodate a broad variety of user preferences and application re- quirements, including a number of key steps that should be followed tomaintain good skin condition. The fundamental step in hand hygiene


‘best practice’ is to wash the hands with soap and water. Apart fromcleaning any visible soilings fromhands, the physical ac- tion of a good hand washing technique will in fact remove high levels of bacteria and viruses present on the skin. Hand sanitising is an effective way to re-


duce bacterial counts on visibly clean hands, when access to soap and running water is inconvenient. Inmost healthcare environments, alcohol is the preferred ac- tive biocide for skin sanitising without the need for rinsing with water. Finally, themost important step inmain-


taining good skin condition is through the use of skin conditioning cream, yet it is one of themost frequently overlooked steps. As a consequence of frequent hand washing, it is necessary to regularly replenish the nat- ural oils and secretions lost fromthe skin that keep the hands in good condition. For healthcare workers,maintaining good skin condition is vital to both their own long


30 l C&M l APRIL 2013 l www.cleaninghub.net


To help raise the level of staff compliance, improve skin condition and reduce the risk of cross-infection it is important that the skin care solution chosen not only satisfies all occupational, community and acute healthcare needs but that it also comprises a complementary range of skin care products and support activities to overcome obstacles and encourage employee motivation to complywith a rigorous hand hygiene philosophy.


termhealth and the health of those in their care. What other factors should be considered


when implementing effective hand hygiene practices? The format for how products are dispensed is of paramount importance in the daily challenge of implementing effec- tive hand hygiene practices: closed, sealed dispensing systems preserve product in- tegrity and prevent any risk of cross-conta- mination.Wall-mounted dispensing systems, that are colour-coded for ease of identification, have long been recognised as the overall 'best practice' solution for deliv- ering skin care products and such dispens- ing systems ensure the correct amount of product is used tominimise wastage and provide economy ofmaterial usage. They can also be permanently sited where they are needed themost. Spark continued: “Deb pioneered the in-


troduction of lockable, sealed cartridge dis- pensing systems into UK hospitals. Our dispensers also offer a combination of lan- guage neutral iconography, strong visual colours and clear, unambiguous wording to ensure that our skin care products and dis- pensing systems are easily understood and easy to use. Deb now also offers a custom dispenser service which is a great way to raise awareness of the hand hygiene facili- ties available and also to promote an ap- propriate infection preventionmessage. These dispensers can help to remove the barriers to non-compliance with hand hy- giene protocols.” Consideration should also be given to


professionals working in social care and community services as they are often with- out access to appropriate washing facilities or the skincare products required to protect


Sachets slash cost andwaste


SYR has produced an antimicrobial wash for the healthcaremar- ket in a practical, cost-effective size. The Antimicrobial Hair and BodyWash comes in 25ml sachets,


in response to requests fromseveral large NHS Trusts. SYR healthcaremanager,Matthew Rea, said: “At themoment


hospitals are sending out bottles of wash in their patient packs, and only a small amount is ever used - the rest is just thrown away. Our sachets cut this waste entirely,meaning it ismuch more cost effective.” The wash, which comes in boxes of 50, is amore economical


way of supplying skin disinfectant prior to hospital admissions. It does not have to be left on for any length of time, so can be ap- plied and washed straight off. The product comes with clear in- structions for the user. SYR has also launched a hand sanitiser in a choice of 50ml,


100ml, 250ml or 500ml bottles with pump action. This is a non- alcohol based foamwith addedmoisturiser. It doesn’t dry out the skin and is also a cost-effective solution. The two new products


continue SYR’s focus on in- novation in healthcare and hospital hygiene. This in- cludes the Spacesaver trol- ley, which has the smallest folded-down footprint of any on themarket; 100 can be stored in the space of 58 traditional trolleys. This compact size alsomakes it light and easy tomanoeu- vre.With a huge choice of add-on equipment, Space- saver can be tailored to meet specific requirements. www.syrclean.com


their skin throughout the day. It is impor- tant that practitioners have access to a hand hygiene kit that is portable and light- weight and contains everything needed to cleanse, sanitise and restore the skin. So, in addition to selecting skin care


products that encourage ‘best practice’, what else is important when increasing lev- els of hand hygiene compliance? Good communication is at the heart of


achieving levels of compliance. It is imper- ative that a variety of support and commu- nicationsmaterials are used to help reinforce hand hygiene training andmes- sages. Study days are also an excellent way to raise skin care awareness as well as en- courage appropriate use and compliance. Phil Spark concluded: “It is important


that your skin care supplier provides easy to understand education and trainingmate- rials to help drive compliance. As part of our support package, we offer a variety of supportmaterials and will conduct pre and post audits to help establish,maintain and measure effectiveness and ultimately help you to drive compliance. In addition, our support package combines with on-going technical support to provide help and ad- vice in relation to the use of Deb products.” In conclusion, to help raise the level of


staff compliance, improve skin condition and reduce the risk of cross-infection it is important that the skin care solution cho- sen not only satisfies all occupational, community and acute healthcare needs but that it also comprises a complementary range of skin care products and support activities to overcome obstacles and en- courage employeemotivation to comply with a rigorous hand hygiene philosophy. www.debgroup.com


Ventilation linked to MRSAinfections


It has recently been reported by an indoor air quality specialist that health facilities are failing to contain airborne infections. Evidence has arisen suggesting that these infections are being transmitted via poorly maintained ventilation and AC systems. It is a well-documented fact that the


healthcare environment is a reservoir for potentially infectious agents, which can spread unpredictably in ventilation and air conditioning systems,making the risk dif- ficult to control andmanage. It is believed that organisms in ductwork could be re- sponsible for outbreaks ofMRSA, fungi and other serious infections. The report showed that only 5%of ventilation sys- tems have been inspected, even though this is now amandatory requirement. Apreco and Aercon have both incorpo-


rated SteriTouch antimicrobial technology in to their range of air pressure control valves and air pressure stabilisers. This innovation will vastly reduce the chance of infections being transmitted through using these systems. SteriTouch is a leadingmanufacturer of


antimicrobial additives, which prevent the growth ofmould and harmful bacteria, such asMRSA, E.Coli and Salmonella. A silver-based powder coat fromSteriTouch is applied to both Aercon and Apreco air pressure stabilisers and pressure relief vents. www.steritouch.com


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