Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Sept. 21 – 27 is National Clean Hands Week
Tower 6B staff have taken infection control matters into their own hands—literally. On the heels of a three-month pilot fueled by frontline staff, the Hematology/Oncology pod has marked a 15 percent increase in hand hygiene compliance.
“Everyone felt part of this effort, and people really got involved in making suggestions,” said Rebecca Spitz, RN, a nurse in-charge whose concern spurred the initiative.
Responding to Spitz’s concern, Colleen Zidik, BSN, MBA, RN, Quality Program manager for Hematology/Oncology, convened an action team of nurses, patient care assistants, physicians, physician assistants, unit coordinators and staff from Environmental Services, Infection Control, Food Services and Materials Management to talk about challenges they face in hand hygiene compliance.
Rob Schlossman, MD, a member of the action team, pointed out that Purell dispensers were hard to find. “We did a tour of the unit and realized that the boxes of gloves were stacked in front of the Purell outside some of the patient rooms,” Zidik said. “Nicole Joseph and Una Yearwood, the day PCAs, made reminder notes asking all PCAs to stack the boxes only two high to keep the pumps visible. That small change made a big difference.”
Another concern was the inability to find a laundry basket for linens immediately after stepping out of a precaution room in a gown. “We trialed new hampers placed inside each patient room,” said Zidik. “That way, the gown can be taken off right there, preventing germs from spreading.”
The team also added a Purell dispenser next to the door inside each patient room to remind care providers to clean their hands on the way out of the room, just as they do on the way in. If anyone forgets, unit coordinator Carolyn Clark provides a friendly verbal reminder.
One reason for the success is that frontline staff suggested the improvements and saw almost immediate implementation. “When our ideas were brought forward, changes actually got made,” remarked Nancy Mahan, RN.
That’s thanks mainly to Jeanne Barton, Support Services operations director. She took the ideas and went to various support services departments to help implement them—sometimes as fast as 48 hours later. “People from other departments really stepped up to the plate and were willing to help us do what we needed,” Barton said.
Other changes that the team made include:
• Installing Asepti-wipe containers in patient rooms to facilitate cleaning of equipment, such as stethoscopes.
• Purchasing new precaution gowns that are impervious on the front, as opposed to cotton. The gowns do not shrink when washed.
• Working with Food Services to install a holder for food trays coming out of patient rooms.
Daily huddles with an action team leader and frontline staff on the pod provided time for the team to check in and tweak the changes that weren’t working. “The culture of the unit has really changed because of this initiative,” Clark said.
The success of 6B is contagious; the changes will be rolled out across all of the Hem/Onc units this fall.