My 5-Moments means true point of care access

EHM asks Rodney Ogrin why the call for true point-of-care access to sanitizer means hand hygiene is going personal.

In your view, what are the main challenges currently facing those charged with ensuring hand hygiene compliance in a healthcare setting?

Rodney Ogrin. The biggest challenge to achieving and sustaining hand hygiene improvements that impact infection rates is making it possible for healthcare providers to respond to hand hygiene opportunities within the patient nest (immediate patient environment) during the busiest times. Current US common practice limits the focus of hand hygiene to entering and exiting a patient room. Without the right tools, getting all providers to significantly change practice can be an overwhelming challenge.

What solutions can healthcare organizations put in place in order to overcome these challenges?

RO. The WHO recommends true point of care access to sanitizers and a multimodal and multidiscipline approach to drive the clinical change. Adapting these tools into a comprehensive system that starts with true point of care access to sanitizers is paramount. The system must have the full support and involvement of hospital and clinical leadership. It should include a budget that reflects a commitment relative to patient safety values and the financial stakes involved. The days of spending $1 per patient day on something as critical as hand hygiene, the very nucleus of patient safety, should be soon long forgotten.

What is the World Health Organization's 'My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene' campaign?

RO. The WHO's My 5-Moments campaign is an opportunity to evolve clinical hand hygiene best practice and patient safety culture. It is much more than an easy way to remember indications for hand hygiene but a commitment to the evolution of best practice as to impact patient outcomes. It is a call for all providers to respond to every hand hygiene opportunity especially those within the patient nest during the busiest times. True point of care access to sanitizer is required to meet the 5-Moments. Current US common practice is based on the use of wallmount sanitizer dispensers at the entrance of the patient room.

The 5-Moments campaign specifically defines point of care as, "The place where three elements come together: the patient, the HCW, and care or treatment involving contact with the patient or his/her surroundings (within the patient zone). The concept embraces the need to perform hand hygiene at recommended moments exactly where care delivery takes place. This requires that a hand hygiene product... be easily accessible and as close as possible - within arm's reach of where patient care or treatment is taking place. Point-of-care products should be accessible without having to leave the patient zone." Wallmount dispensers at the door fall many steps short of this definition.

How are companies like Sprixx providing the means to enable healthcare workers to meet the criteria required by 'My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene'? 

RO. Personal sanitizer dispensers such as the Sprixx GJ offer true ergonomic, point of care access to sanitizer. These devices minimize interruption to workflow and are designed to become a second-nature habit in use. Going to personal dispensers is a paradigm shift that transforms clinical hand hygiene from an institutional obligation to a personal, professional commitment to clinical excellence.

Making hand hygiene a second-nature habit makes it possible to respond to hand hygiene opportunities within the patient nest during the busiest times. Such clinical patterned behavior requires a sanitizer dispenser that is always predictable in location and that can be operated with one hand. A personal dispenser makes that possible and fits the real-world needs of busy healthcare providers in a complex and dynamic work environment.

Personal dispensers send powerful messages about hand hygiene and act as a symbol of patient safety. Personal dispensers are the next logical step to making hand hygiene an advanced clinical skill that is highly regarded by clinicians. My-5 Moments, the WHO multimodal programs, and personal dispensers offers your hospital a powerful way to express your patient safety commitment and significantly impact patient outcomes.

Biography

Dr. Rodney Ogrin is the owner of Harbor Dental Group and Harbor Medical. He was a practicing dentist for over two decades and has been a professional tooth whitening pioneer since 1990. Ogrin is extending his successful track record as an entrepreneur with the introduction of Sprixx personal sanitizer dispensers.