Clean hands earn rewards

Hand hygiene adherence is rising at Asante hospitals, thanks to the vigilance of staff and a little extra incentive from Asante Infection Prevention.

Employees “caught in the act” of cleaning their hands receive on-the-spot rewards and are entered into a bimonthly drawing for a $25 Visa gift card.

This month’s winner was Alyssa Staley, a nurse in ATRMC’s Emergency Department. The next drawing takes place in August.

After seeing hand hygiene adherence dip at all Asante hospitals, Infection Prevention last year renewed its focus on this essential patient-safety practice.

Since then, the numbers have risen. In May, ATRMC reported 93.7% compliance. ARRMC had 91.4% and AACH, 88.5%.

Department leaders and Infection Prevention continue to hand out “High Five” cards to those demonstrating excellent hand hygiene. Employees who collect five cards can redeem them for a $10 coffee card or a $10 meal card for the cafeteria. They also receive a raffle entry for a Visa gift card.

Employees who get a “caught in the act” candy bar with a golden ticket inside will instantly win a coffee or meal card and a raffle entry for a Visa gift card.

“The hand hygiene committee continues to meet every other month and is working diligently to identify common trends and opportunities across the system,” said Serena Branson, an analyst with Asante Infection Prevention who is leading the hand hygiene campaign. “We are seeing increased engagement in the hand hygiene program across the system and this is evident by the positive trend in compliance data.”