hand hygiene
By Paul Alper
Conducting an Objective Hand Hygiene Product Evaluation
healthcare organization typically only looks at changing out
A hand hygiene products -- soaps , sanitizers and dispensers concurrent with their current contract , usually three to five years in duration . Many organizations make no changes for even longer periods . There are several drivers that might influence an organization ’ s decision to change hand hygiene products examples of which follow in this table :
Drivers of Hand Hygiene Product Conversions
Current contract expiration
Product consolidation efforts
Staff dissatisfaction with one or more products
Staff dissatisfaction with dispensers / drip trays
New technology and / or claims that appeal and align with organizational needs
This represents an opportunity to review pricing and savings opportunities along with any innovations that have emerged since your organization last changed products
For organizations with multiple products in use , this evaluation represents the opportunity to select and implement a standardized formulary of products and dispensing systems
This might be skin health-related issues such as drying or irritation complaints or real / perceived product changes such as foam quality and fragrance
This might include product dripping onto the floor and damaging floor finish , dissatisfaction with dose volume ( too much , too little ) and battery issues with touch-free dispensers
This might be related to skin health claims , antibacterial claims and next generation dispensing or compliance monitoring technology
Here is a checklist for how to best evaluate and decide on products to which your organization might transition . Note that we are not going to discuss any predecessor request for proposal ( RFP ) process , only how to best evaluate which product ( s ) might be best suited to your staff and organization once you have decided upon final candidates . Consider using a survey tool to collect data and analyze results or any internal software or system you may already have in place to poll staff satisfaction .
Establish a Set of Evaluators Consider a cohort of at least 10 to 15 evaluators , representing nursing and IP staff , EVS personnel , physicians , ancillary healthcare workers , food service workers , employee health , volunteers and patient advisory council members if they are present in your organization . The larger your organization , the larger the respondent cohort . Consult with any bio-statistician ( s ) that may be on staff for an appropriate cohort size for your organization .
Establish a Baseline
The following questions should be used to establish a baseline of satisfaction with your evaluators for both your current hand soap and hand sanitizer using a 1-5 ( 5 being the highest ) satisfaction scale :
Evaluating Potential New Products
The goal should be to establish product acceptance rather than product superiority with any new product ( s ) being considered . This is because you may want to change products for economic reasons and don ’ t want to have the bar set that high . If possible , products should be blinded ( no brand identity ) to staff participating in the evaluation . Only the data analyst would know which product is which .
The following instructions should be given for use of the products :
1 . For the soaps , use each product in the following manner : wet hands under running water , apply the soap topically and lather into hands , rub for at least 20 seconds , and then rinse hands under running water . Dry with a towel . In between sampling each product , either wait at least 30 minutes or wash and dry your hands .
2 . For the sanitizers , use each product in the following manner : apply topically to your hands and rub into your hands until the product is completely absorbed . In between sampling each product , either wait at least 30 minutes or wash and dry your hands .
Evaluation
Use this questionnaire , adapted for your culture using a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest satisfaction .
If dispenser dissatisfaction is the main driver for potential change , adapt questions 1 and 3 from the Baseline and Evaluation questionnaires to determine staff opinion of the dispensers .
Click to View Establishing a Baseline Questionaire
Click to View the Evaluation Questionaire
Tally the results and as long as you have a majority finding the product acceptable , weigh the pros and cons for conversion . Consider a two- to four- unit pilot before scaling to the entire facility using the same / similar questionnaires for baseline and actual evaluations . Changing soaps / sanitizers and dispensers can be a major decision affecting all staff within a facility - but as long as evaluations are inclusive and un-biased , you can make great decisions for the long term .
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 .
www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com • june 2021
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