Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center among the first-ever awardees in the National Awards Program to Recognize Progress in Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections CDC: Hospitals continue progress in preventing infections American Heart Association: Improvements in Door-to-Balloon Time in the US - 2005 to 2010 Thomson Reuters Top 10 Health Systems of 2011 UMass Memorial Diabetes Scorecard Cooley Dickinson Hospital: Better-than-National Infection Rate Drops Further Following UV Room Disinfection Mercy Medical Center, Implements a Program to Decrease Pressure Ulcers Lawrence General Hospital: Runner Up: Med/surg unit boosts safety and satisfaction with initiative care MetroWest Medical Center Demystifies Outpatient Satisfaction Partners Study on Falls Featured in JAMA Winchester Hospital: A Focus on Outcomes Southcoast Health System: Reducing the Use of Safety Sitters Partners: Coordinating Care for High-Risk Patients New Bedford Rehab's use of volumetric capnography Winchester Hospital -- Reducing IV-associated bloodstream infection Newton-Wellesley Hospital: eMAP Rx for Medication Errors? Reducing Surgical Site Infections at New England Baptist Hospital Milton Hospital Reduces Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections Cooley Dickinson Hospital's Positive Culture Led to Pressure Ulcer Improvements Beverly Hospital Implements Nurse-Led Program to Reduce Patient Falls Boston Medical Center Nurses Teach Pressure Ulcer Prevention Two Hospitals are Co-Winners of Betsy Lehman Patient Safety Award Making Strides at Jordan Hospital to Reduce Falls Telling Your Hospital's Story Public Reporting of Serious Reportable Events Winchester Hospital's Hand-Hygiene Competency
Success Stories

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 An estimated 85 percent of hospital-acquired infections are due to organisms carried on the hands of personnel. As a result, Winchester Hospital has launched a hospital-wide hand hygiene competency for all employees in an effort to save patients from avoidable harm.

The competency includes reciting three opportunities for hand hygiene, communicating three infection prevention strategies (staying home if you are ill, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve, and hand hygiene), and demonstrating proper hand hygiene technique with either soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel.

To kick off the competency assessment, the hospital's senior management team had their hand hygiene practices reviewed by Pam Linzer, infection prevention specialist at Winchester Hospital. Every employee's hand hygiene competency is being assessed in their department and evaluated by a champion of Winchester Hospital's Environment of Safety Committee, a Nursing Quality Council representative, or an infection prevention champion selected within their department.

Last year, Winchester Hospital's Medical/Infectious Diseases Unit Performance Improvement Team set a goal to reduce all hospital-acquired infections due to multidrug resistant organisms (MRSA, CDIFF, VRE, or ESBL) by 50 percent (eight or more cases). Whereas 21 percent of unit employees were observed complying with hand hygiene in December 2008, the unit reached 100 percent compliance by March 2009. The monthly statistics have not fallen below 85 percent since that time.

The team achieved this goal through employee feedback, which suggested adding more Purell dispensers, making the dispensers more visible, adding wipe holders to the unit, and posting flyers about the importance of hand hygiene.
The second phase of the process, which began in April 2009, focused on the isolate practices and compliance. That month, employees of the Medical/Infectious Diseases Unit were observed complying with the use of gowns and gloves when entering a marked isolation room 50 percent of the time. Four months later, compliance had soared to 80 percent. The program is being rolled out to other units in the hospital.

Thanks to the great efforts of this team, Winchester Hospital has become a safer place for our patients and employees.

Healthcare Acquired Infections

Healthcare acquired infections (HAIs), also known as nosocomial infections, are infections that patients get while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions. HAIs occur in all settings of care, including hospitals, surgical centers, ambulatory clinics, and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities.

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