Provincial Hand Hygiene Program

 Arrow Have you completed the hand hygiene survey? All BC health authorities request that their healthcare workers complete the online survey by February 28, 2012.

About the Provincial Hand Hygiene Program

PHHWG LogoThere is increasing awareness of the importance of hand hygiene (HH), not only to protect patients but to protect the health of healthcare workers (HCW). In response to an Office of the Auditor General review on hand hygiene programs in healthcare, the Provincial Hand Hygiene Working Group (PHHWG) was formed with the support of the Ministry of Health Services and the BC Health Operations Council.

The Working Group

The PHHWG is composed of representatives from each of the Health Authorities, the Ministry of Health, the Patient Safety and Quality Council, and the Provincial Infection Control Network (PICNet).  

Aim

The group has been tasked with developing a mandatory province-wide hand hygiene program for the Health Authorities and assisting in its implementation for the individual Health Authorities (HA).

Research

With funding from WorkSafeBC, a research project will be conducted from November 2011 to November 2013. The goal of the research is to:

  • systematically document the creation and implementation of the provincial HH program, with emphasis on the barriers and promoters to its success.
  • examine the effect of the program on HCW HH compliance (through HH audit results)
  • assess the impact of the program on HCW perceptions of a healthy work environment and
  • ascertain the impact of a HH program on worker health. 

For more information on the research project, please contact Robin Wilson, research project manager.

Timeline

2007 Auditor General reviews infection control in BC, and notes HH as area for improvement
2007-2010 Several HAs individually develop regional HH programs
Spring 2010 Auditor General requests HAs to self-assess HH programs
Fall 2010 PHHWG formed
April 2011 First quarter HH audit results collected using standardized reporting
August 2011 WorkSafeBC research grant awarded
December 2011 – January 2012 Interviews with HAs about their HH programs
January 2012 Provincial Hand Hygiene Perception Survey sent out to healthcare workers throughout BC

Auditing

Audits for Hand Hygiene compliance focus on before and after contact with either the patient or the patient’s environment. Each HA audits their providers’ hand hygiene slightly differently, depending on the resources available, however they all collect the same basic information.

The compliance rate is found by dividing the number of compliant hand hygiene opportunities (before and after contact with the patient or patient environment), by the number of total hand hygiene opportunities (before and after contact with the patient or patient environment).

% = compliant opportunities / total opportunities

Between April 2011 and September 2011 (first and second quarter), the provincial rate remained steady at 71%. At the end of each fiscal year, rates will be broken down by professional groups (physicians, nurses and allied healthcare worker).

Survey

A survey is currently under way to collect baseline data on healthcare workers' perceptions of hand hygiene. All BC health authorities are asking that their healthcare workers complete the online survey. If you do, you can enter to win a prize!