Hand hygiene

Good morning!

Monday kicks off the first day of Patient Safety Week, and I want to begin with that in mind. As we commemorate the past year’s safety achievements across the Medical Center, I want us to all reaffirm our commitment to keeping our patients safe.

A cornerstone of patient safety, and one of the easiest ways to reduce hospital acquired infections, is to practice proper hand hygiene. Wash your hands. It’s that simple.

When we started the hand hygiene program eight years ago, our compliance was at 53%. Although we have made progress since the inception of the program, our current compliance rate across all areas continues to fall short of our 90% target.

Imagine if it were your loved one who was receiving care. You would want and expect that everyone would do everything possible to protect them. If you are crossing a threshold, “foam in.” Families should expect hand hygiene from everyone.

We should also be encouraging the families of our patients to foam in. Regardless of our roles or departments, each of us plays a vital role in upholding the high-quality care standards of UMMC.

Last October, we received our first-ever “B” on the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score, an accomplishment that we should all be very proud of. But maintaining a reputation for excellence requires each of us to prioritize proper hand hygiene.

The current hand hygiene accountability program met our needs initially, but we recognize that it is no longer as effective as it was. We are working toward adjusting the hand hygiene program to align with the 24/7 nature of the industry.

While developing a new monitoring program may pose challenges, washing your hands is an easy action that everyone should be taking simply because it’s the right thing to do. Remember: hand hygiene is our collective responsibility and can make the difference between a good clinical outcome and a bad one.

Thank you for all you do to help us push forward toward A Healthier Mississippi, two clean hands at a time.