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1 . Sanitize hands upon room entry 2 . Approach the workstation and enter patient information 3 . Sanitize upon leaving workstation and prior to patient contact
4 . If there is patient contact , sanitize after touching the patient and before touching anything else .
5 . If leaving the patient , sanitize upon exit from the room
Note : Hand hygiene is performed when interaction between surfaces and patient , patient and surfaces , and surfaces and surfaces .
Now you can train and educate staff members on that unit . With the workflow standardized to a point , one can easily teach and educate the staff on when , where and how to practice hand hygiene . You will also know exactly what you are measuring , and compliance data will be much more accurate and meaningful . Of course , there will be exceptions , as patients come first . Muscle memory and habit will improve over time when hand hygiene is defined effectively to match the standardized training and education process .
To summarize , each unit workflow is different . Before you begin to measure hand hygiene compliance , you must understand your workflow . Where do your key hand hygiene opportunities exist ? Gather this data with your team and establish standardized protocols . Then overlay a compliance measuring tool . Use this data to improve performance . Remember , each unit has a unique workflow unless you standardize universally .
Robert Lee , BA , the CEO and founder of MD- Medical Data Quality & Safety Advisors , LLC , is the senior biologist and performance improvement consultant . MD-MDQSA is the home of The IPEX- The Infection Prevention Exchange , a digital collaboration between selected evidence-based solutions that use big data , technology , and AI to reduce risk of HAIs .
Sanitizing your hands upon entering a patient ’ s room and then using the keyboard of a workstation , handling a patient chart , or touching anything in the room prior to touching the patient can negate the impact of hand sanitization and potentially acquire a pathogen that can then be transferred to the patient during contact .”
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