Courage in the Face of Resistance to Hand Hygiene

Submitted by Amy Lucas

Soc Ngo on 8W at CRMH was overheard reminding someone to clean their hands after leaving a patient room. This was a great example of our CariIion values, especially since this was complicated by the fact that the person was resistant to cleaning their hands. Soc obviously understood the importance of cleaning our hands immediately on leaving a room to prevent the spread of potentially harmful pathogens to our patients, visitors and staff, and had the courage to speak up when she noticed it was not done. 

On behalf of the Hand Hygiene Committee, and those patients who you are protecting from the spread of infection, I wanted to say thank you and keep up the good work. It is not going unnoticed! 

All staff are encouraged to speak up about this vital step in caring for our patients. Please communicate refusals via the hand hygiene observation tool and an event report.