Author Archives: Megan Hardigree

Norovirus outbreak at hospital in New Zealand

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Although Katie Filion (fellow BarfBlogger) lives in Wellington, New Zealand, I trust she washes her hands properly and often, so I’m not too worried about her and the latest report of norovirus outbreak in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Palmerston North Hospital has reported a possible norovirus outbreak. Patients and staff, 13 and 11, respectively, have been affected with this stomach bug. Earlier this year, 240 staff members and 88 patients were affected causing 31 major surgeries to be postponed.

To reduce the spread of infection, handwashing is being promoted to staff, patients, and visitors. Additional handwashing stations have been set up at the front hospital entrance, outside the entrance of each ward, and other places around the hospital. Visitor hours have been reduced to only 6 hours in the afternoon and patient property must be dropped off and collected at each ward entrance.

Smart patient checklist from Oprah’s Dr. Oz

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Tuesday’s Oprah had Dr. Oz talking to viewers about the smart patient checklist. Dr. Oz believes there are eight ways to avoid medical mistakes: preventing infection, avoiding wrong-site surgery, not commencing in chitchat, using a high-tech hospital, using a hospital that uses a patient care checklist, using a nationally accredited hospital, knowing the hospital you are using, and being a smart patient.

Preventing infections is straightforward. “You’re in an environment that has sick people in it who have infections themselves,” says Dr. Oz. Also, “It’s so easy to spread to you.”

Asking people to wash their hands before touching you, keeping hand sanitizer near your bedside, and avoiding bacteria-promoting items (flowers and jewelry) will help reduce your chance of getting a hospital-acquired infection. Other helpful tips include asking the doctor or nurse to wash their hands, sanitize their medical equipment (stethescope, sphygmomonometer, etc.), and to clean general patient room equipment (phone, television remote, etc.).

More details about Dr. Oz’s smart patient checklist can be found on Oprah’s website.
 

Handwashing versus hospital-acquired infection

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To combat the increasing number of hospital-acquired infections—about 2 million patients annually according to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement—Versus Technology Inc. has developed a new way to observe handwashing compliance in healthcare workers using IR-RFID badges. When a member of the staff washes their hands, the IR-RFID on the badge is signaled by the IR-RFID on the soap or alcohol rub dispenser. The signals are recorded and reported (time and place). The system is based on accurate, real-time technology, which eliminates the bias that direct observations have.

Chief intellectual property officer of Versus, Henry Tenarvitz, said, 

“It is very important to Versus Technology that we provide solutions that not only reduce the potential for hospital acquired infections, but do so in a way that increases hospital staff efficiency. At the same time…. these systems must be priced at a level that most hospitals can afford. Our commitment to making compliance systems affordable has driven Versus to discover ways to leverage existing nurse call infrastructure to control installation costs.”

The American Hospital Association exclusively endorses the Versus IR-RFID Solution System.

Softsoap says, ‘Lather up for good health’

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Softsoap brand is set to help parents and teachers enforce better handwashing for kids of all ages. Tips (including lesson plans for teachers), posters (specified for ages/grades), and examples to improve and encourage handwashing can be found on the Softsoap brand’s website.

Softsoap brand lists the following tips:
•    start early;
•    make hand washing fun;
•    skip the bar; and,
•    lead by example

Research shows that handwashing is learned at a young age, primarily toilet training age. Making handwashing fun (playing games, singing songs, monogrammed towels, etc.) can also increase the amount of handwashing. Also, says Softsoap, liquid soaps may be easier to use than bar soaps.

 The kids’ page also provides games and coloring pages to encourage handwashing. For example, Seek and Find—a game in which you need to pick the animal who needs to wash their hands.

Big Brother or better handwashing tool?

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Big Brother on CBS may have competition with a handwashing tool. University of Florida researchers have developed a handwashing-monitoring system called HyGreen. It has been developed to promote handwashing and increase compliance rates in healthcare workers.

How does it work? When a healthcare worker deposits hand sanitizer in their hands, they wave them under a sensor. The sensor sends a wireless signal to a badge on the individual’s body. Later, once the worker approaches a patient, a sensor on the patient’s bed signals and reads the worker’s badge to determine the last time hands were sanitized or washed. If it is within acceptable time (not specified), the worker receives a green light, if not, the badge vibrates to remind the worker to sanitize hands again.

The HyGreen system is being used at the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Shands UF and during the meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, which ended today.