hand hygiene
hand hygiene
By Robert P . Lee
Hand Hygiene and Surfaces : Data , Analytics and AI – What is Your Strategy ?
As hockey legend Wayne Gretzky says , “ I don ’ t skate where the puck is , I skate to where the puck Is going to be .” Knowing where the puck is going to be takes a bit of calculation , direction , speed , relative movement , weight of the puck , condition of the ice , etc . These are all data points that when processed provide an expected proximity and location for the puck . Bad data , tardy information , and lack of robustness will lead us in the wrong direction .
What role does analytics and near real-time data play in allowing us to target key activities that we know have a real effect on quality and safety , and can impact healthcare-acquired infections ( HAIs )? And how is this data presented and used by your management team to help improve performance ?
Before you get to the analytics and reporting , it is important to have a robust ,
As far as analytics , determining trends and relationships is an important function used to become more predictive versus retrospective . We want our data to move faster than the process itself so that we can anticipate appropriate interventions and take preventive measures .” accurate , and efficient data-capture solution . The adage , “ Garbage in garbage out ” is so true . Typically , the gathering of hand hygiene compliance data can be manually collected on a clipboard . Some will use an iPad . Nevertheless , a manual input of data is required , which can open the door to errors and inefficiencies . Additionally , the scope of data is very limited to this human resource . The Leapfrog Group recommends that at least 200 events be captured to meet its survey requirements per unit .
One way to improve your data-gathering task is to use hand hygiene technology . This standardizes and accelerates the data-gathering process and can provide more accurate results in a fraction of the time . Some technologies require permanent installation , while others are portable and can be installed , de-installed , and re-deployed in a few hours , moving from unit to unit . Additionally , The Leapfrog Group recommends that you validate the performance of your tool via audit each time you install / de-install .
So , once you are comfortable with your data-gathering process , it is time to put the data to work and into the analytics platform , which organizes , sorts and prepares the data for reporting .
How do you want your management team and end users to receive their reports ? Should it be via email , text message , or through a dashboard ? Should it be delivered weekly , daily , or near real-time ? How do you want to use this reporting functionality ? To track performance , for training and education purposes , to document operational and clinical health of the team , or to track infection rates ?
www
. healthcarehygienemagazine . com • september 2023
As far as analytics , determining trends and relationships is an important function used to become more predictive versus retrospective . We want our data to move faster than the process itself so that we can anticipate appropriate interventions and take preventive measures . We might want to know the relationship in hand hygiene between nurses and doctors , other clinical service staff such as environmental services or dietary , and others such as visitors . This might include different shifts , weekends versus weekdays , duration of shifts , etc .
What is artificial intelligence ( AI ) and how does it apply to hand hygiene ? AI is simply taking all this good data and analytics and providing additional direction as an output . It ’ s called machine learning . The information is stored and managed in such a way that it allows the AI platform to think ahead as to next steps and activities . It allows us to become more predictive , which is one of our goals . In today ’ s healthcare setting , many clinicians are working tirelessly with fewer resources ; in the old days , nurses use to work in teams in a process called “ the buddy system .” Technology is an important part of “ the buddy system ,” especially when there is no back-up resource to ensure quality and safety . When trying to achieve high performance and compliance with safety protocols such as hand hygiene , wouldn ’ t it make sense to have a technology assistant reminding you when to sanitize your hands ? It might be an audible , visual , or a voice reminder .
Do you subscribe to the “ command center ” concept ? This concept is a live / real-time dashboard of hospital health and quality . Does your compliance data feed into your electronic health record ( EHR )? Every infection prevention office or department should have a real-time feed ( command center ), broken down by hospital , department , and unit , with drill-down capabilities to individuals .
If we are going to ask our staff to do more with less , does it not make sense to invest in assistance that makes them better ? One should not fear “ Big Data ” or AI ; it is your friend and ensures that you are doing the right things at the right time .
Epidemiology and infection prevention need and deserve the opportunity to bring practice into the 21 st century . Clinicians deserve access to resources and funding to help them fight hospital infections and antibiotic resistance . Data is now the new currency in the marketplace , and clinicians need to access that information efficiently , accurately , and in real-time . Administrators , please support your epidemiology and infection prevention teams when they ask for funding and resources .
Robert P . Lee , BA , 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 .
27