May 5, 2006

Hand hygiene "Champions of Champions" recognized

Providing the best possible patient care is a top priority at the MGH, and making sure employees and staff practice proper hand hygiene is an important part of meeting that goal. While MGHers throughout the hospital have made the commitment to protecting patients by using proper hand hygiene techniques, three employees recently were recognized for their extraordinary dedication to promoting such practices. Emeline Isaacs, a unit service associate on Ellison 14, Kristine Cote, RN, of Bigelow 14, and second-time winner Teresa Hartman, RN, of the Yawkey 8 Cancer Center Outpatient Infusion Unit, were honored as "Champions of Champions" at a special luncheon held April 12 in the Trustees Room. Hand hygiene champions are MGH staff members who use creative and clever techniques to remind colleagues to use Cal Stat — an alcohol-based hand disinfectant — before and after contact with a patient or a patient's environment. Champions also find special ways to reward employees who are seen practicing good hand hygiene.

Attendees at the luncheon also received an update about the progress of the MGH's comprehensive hand hygiene program. Since the hospitalwide rollout in 2004, the hospital's hand hygiene compliance rate has increased for both before and after contact, while hospital-acquired infection rates have decreased.

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

Below, from left, associate chief nurse Jackie Somerville, RN, with Cote and David Hooper, MD, chief of the Infection Control Unit