Mrs Kaye Bellis1, Ms Pauline Bass1, Ms Victoria Eagger1
1Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia
Background
Successful Hand Hygiene (HH) programs must connect with and educate all staff. The challenge with long-standing programs is to keep them alive and engaging.
Method
Our aim was to develop a highly visible tool to promote HH in a fun but educational way. Inspired by a performance by some of our ward nurses at an end-of-year forum, we engaged a local film production company to shoot a music video about hand hygiene. This video was uploaded and promoted on social media.
Results
- The “vibe” on the day was “buzzing” and word spread rapidly
- Engagement of key stakeholders including; Executive and ward leadership , HH auditors, medical , nursing, allied health, administration and domestic staff all danced together
- Lyrics created to match clinical scenarios
- Filmed in many areas of hospital
- Launched 5th May: hospital screening ,on the intranet, Facebook, Instagram and You-tube
- Small budget/quick turn around
- Immediate general compliance increased
Conclusions
Currently with over 600,000 Facebook hits, 5620 shares and 230,000 comments we have created an entertaining positive way to promote HH. This does not detract from the seriousness of HH but adds to our educational resources and generates discussion. Time will tell if social media has been a successful method to improve sustained compliance. Alfred Health continually endeavours to change their HH promotional programs by thinking “outside the box”. Our music video has managed to raise the profile of HH, whilst keeping it topical and promotes program sustainability.
Biography:
For over 17 years I have been in Infection Control (ICP) and have been been passionate and focused in one format or another around HH.
Whilst working as an ICP across many large Melbourne based healthcare facilities her favorite portfolio is HH. She realises that HH is an ongoing challenge but one that we are slowly gaining ground on.
She has worked with HH Victoria and HHA for many years where one of her roles was as a national educator, where she meet many of you.
In her current role the challenge is to promote and reinvigorate HH’s profile.