April 28, 2006

Clean hands, healthy patients, happy employees

The final results for hand hygiene compliance in the fourth quarter of 2005 have been tallied, and special congratulations go to two groups of MGHers — physical and occupational therapists (PTs and OTs) and unit service associates (USAs) — for reaching a major hand hygiene milestone by attaining the highest-ever hand hygiene compliance rates before and after after contact with a patient or patient's environment. The PTs and OTs achieved a rate of 93 percent before and 97 percent after contact. USAs achieved compliance rates of 80 percent before and 83 percent after contact. In honor of their dedication to keeping patients healthy through proper hand hygiene, both groups were rewarded with special celebrations — the USAs had two pizza parties March 18 and March 24, while the PTs and OTs enjoyed an ice cream party April 18.

The rewards program is designed to encourage the use of CalStat — an alcohol-based hand disinfectant — before and after contact with patients or their environment to help reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections and improve patient care. It is sponsored by the STOP — Stop Transmission of Pathogens — Task Force.

"This is a great way to acknowledge the USAs and the physical and occupational therapists for all of their hard work," says Rosemary O'Malley, RN, of the STOP Task Force. "When employees and staff practice good hand hygiene, the real winners are our patients."

For more information about the hospital's hand hygiene program, call the MGH Infection Control Unit at (617) 726-2036.

The staff at the PT and OT ice cream party