➐ C . diff Room Reporting : The system should provide the ability to see both soap and sanitizer event trending so that real time feedback can be given to staff as to whether they are complying with the typical C . diff protocol - the switch to soap and water hand hygiene from alcohol-based hand sanitizer which does not kill C . diff spores .
➑ Hand Hygiene Dispenser Requirements : The system should be soap / sanitizer-brand agnostic and work with any brand of hand hygiene products .
➒ Economic Model : You will have to choose from a system with an up-front capital expense and on-going service costs or a subscription fee based agreement . When selecting a subscription fee based model , which can be the most cost effective in the long run , be sure the subscription fee covers all costs including , but not limited to : hardware infrastructure and installation , badges and badge administration , unlimited data access ( option for either log-on or auto email push reports ), staff training , maintenance and repair , battery refresh / replacement , 24 / 7 system integrity monitoring and on-going ; unlimited access to help desk support .
It is so exciting to see new , disruptive technology offerings emerging . I recently spoke to an industry colleague and friend , Michael Mutterer ( vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox , Ill .) about what he was doing in terms of monitoring of hand hygiene compliance .
Here is what he said : “ We are really excited to be an early adopter of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system based on near field magnetic induction or NFMI . It ’ s the only technology that lets us monitor either the WHO 5 Moments OR in and out standards of care with accuracy that is far greater than RFID or RF based technologies that are quite frankly , now outdated . Lastly , it is the most affordable technology we have seen to date and that made it easy to cost justify to our financial leadership .”
The time has come for hospital leaders to adopt what will likely be the best practice approach to optimizing hand hygiene : use e-monitoring technology for measurement and direct observation for coaching , feedback and obstacle elimination . Hope this helps , and Happy New Year ! Let me know what you think and please send me your specific hand hygiene challenges , frustrations and nagging problems – I ’ ll share ideas that might be of interest in this monthly column
paul @ next-levelstrategies . com . Connect with me on
LinkedIn .
Paul Alper , BA , led the launch of PURELL ®, invented the first electronic hand hygiene monitoring system proven to reduce infections while improving behavior and eliminating costs and is now the VP Patient Safety Innovation for Medline Industries , Inc . through an exclusive engagement with his consulting practice , Next Level Strategies , LLC . Announcing the Infection Prevention in Vascular Access Webinar Series
This webinar series — brought to you by Healthcare Hygiene magazine — examines imperatives related to vascular access within an infection prevention context and offers 2 contact hours of continuing education for nurses .
( Keystone Media Inc ./ Healthcare Hygiene magazine - CEP 17500 - is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nurses ).
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FOR MORE INFORMATION www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com • january 2021
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