Objective:
This initiative was designed to help improve our hand hygiene performance by bringing attention to the importance of hand hygiene and providing positive reinforcement when good hand hygiene was observed. By reducing the rate of infection spread by unwashed hands at UI Health, we not only protect UI Health patients, but we also reduce the amount of sick days for our staff. The strategy behind the initiative was for the creative campaign would reinforce positive behavior, while leadership and managers publicly recognized good hand washing behavior among employees as a means to meet quality, patient safety, and patient satisfaction goals.
Implementation:
UI Health Marketing and Communications coordinated a 20-person photo shoot of various employees (i.e. physician, physical therapists, facilities, nursing, administration). Employees were provided with a list of germ-fighting phrases, which they were able to modify based on their personalities. Then using Photoshop, the Marketing team was able to highlight hand hygiene with creative poses emphasizing their hands to produce a series of creative pieces.
The communication channels used included: posters, flyers, screensavers, “Caught in the Act” raffle cards, table tents, newsletter feature, and bottles of hand sanitizer with the campaign phrase “The Power to Stop Infections is in Your Hands.”
Results/Evaluation:
Prelaunch December 2013: 64% Compliance
Launch January 17th 2014: 83% Compliance
Results show significant increase in compliance during this month – closest ever to the goal of 90%
