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Programs Clean Hands Save Lives

This program is concluded, more info Hand Hygiene.
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Reducing the spread of germs in hospitals, and the number of serious infections among patients is vital for improving patient safety.

Hand decontamination has been shown to prevent the spread of infectious agents in clinical setting for over 150 years.

An Expert Group was established by the NSW Minister for Health in June 2005, to advise on all aspects of preventing and controlling infections. This group identified the need to improve hand hygiene among all healthcare workers.

Posters and Materials

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Program Overview

Good hand hygiene means cleaning using either alcohol-based hand rub or soap-and-water to help stop the spread of germs. By stopping the spread of germs we can reduce infections among patients.

The Clean Hands Save Lives campaign aims to reduce the spread of serious germs, including healthcare associated infections, by increasing good hand hygiene among hospital staff, patients and visitors.

Healthcare associated infections include those caused by germs known as Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (MROs).

More information about MROs:-

Key message

Health care associated infections (HAIs), particularly those involving multiresistant organisms (MROs) pose a very real and serious threat to people who are admitted to hospital, however many of these infections are preventable.

Microbes can be readily transmitted on health care workers' hands, and hand hygiene substantially reduces this transmission.

International evidence agrees that there is no single way of reducing healthcare associated infections (HAIs) but improving hand hygiene compliance can have a significant impact.

The Clean Hands Save Lives Campaign is designed to improve hand hygiene and reduce health care associated infections in NSW. The campaign was launched on 27th March 2006 and will run for 12 months.

The Clean Hands Save Lives campaign includes three key strategies:

  • Alcohol based hand rubs placed in easy-to-access locations such as near patient beds and nursing stations
  • Promotional posters with key hand hygiene messages that will change every month
  • User-friendly materials designed to encourage patients to become involved in their own healthcare. Brochures are available in 22 languages.

A key message of the campaign targets patients and consumers of health care, telling them "It's OK to ask" health professionals if they have cleaned their hands.

Participating Hospitals

All public hospitals within NSW are part of the Clean Hands Save Lives campaign and a selection of private facilities have elected to also increase awareness of hand hygiene among their staff, patients and visitors.

Participating area health services include:

More information about Hand Hygiene

Resources

Posters and Materials

  • Posters: Talking Walls

    Requests for Clean Hands Save Lives resources, please email Clinical Practice Improvement.

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    Get with the program

    Talking Walls Poster 1
    A3 poster

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    The most unlikely patients...

    Talking Walls Poster 2
    A3 poster

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    Got a spare 20 seconds to save a life?

    Talking Walls Poster 3
    A3 poster

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    To help, we need a little squirt

    Talking Walls Poster 4
    A3 poster

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    Before you put your gloves on...

    Talking Walls Poster 5
    A3 poster

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    What's your personal best?

    Talking Walls Poster 6
    A3 poster

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    Whatever else you handle in your job, handle some cleanser too

    Talking Walls Poster 7
    A3 poster

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    What’s the secret to reducing infections in hospitals?

    Talking Walls Poster 8
    A3 poster

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    Patients need our extra assurance...

    Talking Walls Poster 9
    A3 poster

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    Getting into a lather at work?

    Talking Walls Poster 10
    A3 poster

Patient/Visitors Targeted Resources

Brochure

  • What you need to know about hand hygiene

Posters

  • It's OK to ask
  • Of course it's OK to tell him...
  • Patients, Visitors, Staff. Please clean your hands

Other Resources

Badge

  • It's Ok to ask

Balloons

  • Clean hands save lives

Health Professionals

Documents

Three Two One Bugs Off! Implementation Guide - PDF ~2.60mb
This document is intended to be a guide to implementing the Hand Hygiene Campaign for NSW Health. It has been designed to allow for some adaptation by the Area Health Service Hand Hygiene Project Officers to reflect local circumstances.

Tools

Hand Hygiene and Skin Sensitivity Package - PDF ~548kb

Fact sheets - for patients and visitors

"Patients and Visitors: What you need to know about hand hygiene" available in:-

Messages on Hold

As part of the Clinical Excellence Commission's strategy to encourage hand hygiene, we've created "messages on hold" available for downloading by hospital teams across NSW. Expect to hear them soon if you phone a hospital near you.

Please, feel free, even if you don't work in the health system, to use the material. The message is simple. Clean your hands. That saves lives.

Information & Fact Sheets

Hand Hygiene Fact Sheets

WHO Guidelines

Australia committed to address health care associated infections.

On 10 November 2006, Australia pledged their commitment to address healthcare associated infections through actions such as promoting understanding of the importance of improving hand hygiene among health care providers.

Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods Guidelines

Guideline required for storage of alcohol hand products:-

  • Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods in NSW Health – Guidelines for Safe Use - PDF ~1.3mb

Publications

Hand Hygiene Compliance Report

During 2006 – 2007 the Clinical Excellence Commission in partnership with the NSW Health Department conducted a statewide campaign to improve compliance with hand hygiene.

By way of identifying the current status of hand hygiene practices in NSW in comparison to the Clean Hands Save Lives Campaign Hand Hygiene Compliance data conducted in New South Wales between February 2006 and February 2007, The Clinical Excellence Commission requested each Area Health Service to conduct Hand Hygiene Compliance Audits in July 2008.

  • Hand Hygiene Compliance Report (August 2008) - PDF ~116kb

Final Report

"This report is the culmination of more than twelve months hard work but it is by no means the end of the story. Hand Hygiene must remain on the agenda in NSW as in the rest of the world and we must continue to find new and innovative strategies to reduce the risk of infection to our patients." - Professor Clifford F Hughes AO

Appendices

  • Appendix 1: Steering Committee Terms of Reference - PDF ~24kb
  • Appendix 2: Program: Hand Hygiene Project Officers Orientation Workshop – 21/22 February 2006 - PDF ~94kb
  • Appendix 3: Orientation Workshop Evaluation Form - PDF ~17kb
  • Appendix 4: AHS Status Report Template - PDF ~19kb
  • Appendix 5: Hand Hygiene Fact Sheets - PDF ~139kb
  • Appendix 6: Program: Project Officer Workshop – November 2006 - PDF ~65kb
  • Appendix 7: Project Officer Workshop Evaluation – November 2006 - PDF ~49kb
  • Appendix 8: Clean Hands Save Lives Resources - PDF ~1.32mb
  • Appendix 9: Clean Hands Save Lives Campaign Communication Plan - PDF ~53kb
  • Appendix 10: Sample Publications including Campaign information - PDF ~2.44mb
  • Appendix 11: Clean Hands Save Lives Web page - PDF ~1.37mb
  • Appendix 12: Program Launch - PDF ~8kb
  • Appendix 13: Launch Photographs - PDF ~3.11mb
  • Appendix 14: Overt Observations Tool and Instructions - PDF ~42kb
  • Appendix 15: Staff Survey - PDF ~29kb
  • Appendix 16: Patient / Visitor Survey - PDF ~20kb
  • Appendix 17: Hand Hygiene Evaluation Plan - PDF ~40kb
  • Appendix 18: Hand Hygiene Activity Questionnaire - PDF ~19kb
  • Appendix 19: SWOT Analysis – Workshop 9 November 2006 - PDF ~13kb
  • Appendix 20: AHS Project Evaluation Results - PDF ~8kb
  • Appendix 21: Alcohol Based Hand Rub Safety Alert - PDF ~169kb
  • Appendix 22: Policy on Placement of Alcohol Based Hand Rubs – SWAHS - PDF ~244kb

Useful Links