May 20, 2005

Hand hygiene helps keep patients healthy

The results are in for the first-quarter of the 2005 MGH Hand Hygiene Clean
Sweepstakes contest, and 10 patient care units have met the first-quarter goal.
Ellison 4, Ellison 9, Ellison 14, Ellison 18, White 11, Bigelow 9, Bigelow 11, Blake 6, Yawkey 8 and the Dialysis Unit are all being recognized for achieving a compliance rate of 50 percent before patient contact and 80 percent after patient contact for hand hygiene.

Of these 10 winning units, five units have already met the second-quarter goal of
60 percent before and 80 percent after contact, and two units have met the third-quarter goal of 70 percent before and 80 percent after contact. While the fourth-quarter goal of reaching an 80 percent compliance rate for both before and after patient contact seems like a huge challenge, two units have already met that goal as well.

The average hospitalwide results for quarter one were 52 percent before and 71 percent after contact with a patient or a patient's environment. Sponsored by the STOP — Stop Transmission of Pathogens — task force, the Clean Sweepstakes is a friendly competition among patient care units to encourage all MGHers to use Cal Stat — a waterless hand disinfectant — before and after patient contact to help reduce the rates of hospital-acquired infections and improve patient care. For the second quarter of 2005, any unit that achieves both a compliance rate of at least 60 percent before and 80 percent after contact with a patient or a patient's environment will receive a reward.