Infection Don’t Pass It On Posters (Hand Hygiene Posters)

infection: don’t pass it on posters (hand hygiene posters) additional info and downloads are available at: http://vaww.vhaco.va.gov/phshcg/

Infection: Don’t Pass it on Posters (Hand Hygiene Posters)
Additional info and downloads are available at:
http://vaww.vhaco.va.gov/phshcg/InfectionDontPassItOn/Default.htm
THE POSTERS EACH HAVE ONE OF FOUR DIFFERENT DESIGNATIONS ON THEIR
LOWER RIGHT CORNERS:
All (General Audience): These posters are intended for use anywhere in
a hospital or clinic. For example, patient waiting areas, visitor
waiting areas, hallways, elevators, outside patient rooms, at the
entryways to special areas (like Intensive Care Units or Endoscopy
Suites), desktops, etc. These posters have the word “All” next to
their number at the bottom of the poster.
Clinical: These are often very similar to the “All” posters but use
more technical language. In some cases, the difference is just the use
of “decontaminate” rather than “wash.” These posters can be used
anywhere but are intended for areas will they will be seen primarily
by staff, who may appreciate the more technical language and details.
These posters have the word “Clinical” next to their number at the
bottom of the poster.
Staff Areas Only: These posters have messages that are intended only
for staff. The points are intended to be thought-provoking (like
Hands-17 or -18) or they contain technical (Hands-26) or health-care
references (like Hands-27) that most people who don’t work in
healthcare wouldn’t understand or benefit from reading. These posters
should be put only in staff break areas, lockers rooms, etc.
Spanish (not shown below): Designed primarily for visitors – English
is the language of the US military and almost all veterans are fluent
in written and spoken English, but some family members and visitors
are cannot read English-language posters. To be able to get messages
across to Spanish-reading visitors, ten of the posters have been
translated. These posters have the letters “Sp” after their number at
the bottom of the poster.
In addition to the basic guideline above, additional details regarding
the intended use of these posters follows.
I. Posters Designed to be Left Up Indefinitely (for patient or visitor
waiting areas or other areas where posters will not necessarily be
rotated):
Hands 31
This poster was designed to convey to patients and visitors that VA is
dedicated to improving hand hygiene and to explain that alcohol kills
germs better than soap (dispel any misconception that using an
alcohol-based handrub rather than soap is cutting corners).
Hands 34 and Hands 36
These two posters are designed to encourage patients and visitors to
feel free to ask providers if they have cleaned their hands. This is
rarely done, but many authors writing on this topic have postulated
that if patients and visitors asked about hand hygiene more often the
performance of providers would improve.
II. Posters for Staff Areas Only:
Basic Message: Even clean people with good hygiene can have pathogens
on their hands.
Hands 17 Hands 27
The idea behind these posters is to try to convince staff to feel free
to remind each other to practice hand hygiene, and to respond well to
being reminded by a colleague. The point is that your hands can be
“clean” by any ordinary standard and still be inappropriate for
patient care if they have not been decontaminated with an
alcohol-based hand rub or antimicrobial soap.
Hands 18
This poster reminds people of the worst possible outcome of
accidentally passing on pathogens: death of a patient. This is not
hypothetical. We know of deaths from MRSA and Influenza in VA, and
that these are frequently transmitted by hands. Be careful using
Poster 18: some people think it’s great, but some people find it
insulting or outrageous. It is definitely a conversation-starter. If
you put it up, be ready for the conversation.
Hands 26
This poster reminds providers that most studies have shown that absent
any special interventions the rate at which hand hygiene practices are
adhered to is low. And that if healthcare workers want more info that
they can follow up with their facility’s infection control
professional or patient safety manager.
III. Posters Designed to be Rotated Throughout Hospital Locations:
These posters focus on directly addressing caregiver, patient, and
visitor misconceptions about hands, soap and alcohol-based handrubs,
and/or the transmission of pathogens, or simply reminding people of
things that they know about pathogens or the transmission of
infectious agents.
Note for putting posters in poster-holders for rotation: The poster
holders supplied as part of the Infection: Don’t Pass it on Campaign
can hold several posters at a time (with only one visible), so if you
put 6 posters that you like in the holder, it will be easier to rotate
the posters (for example, from front to back) than if you have to take
a new poster from your collection every time you want to rotate
posters.
Hands 24 Hands 25
Basic Message: It’s reasonable to decontaminate regularly, and using
alcohol handrub makes it easier and better than it would be with soap
(which previously made full compliance virtually impossible)
Hands 29 Hands 8
Basic Message: Instructions on how to use with subtext: it’s a lot
easier to use the alcohol-based handrub rather than soap without
actually saying this – letting people figure it out for themselves.
Hands 4 Hands 5
Hands 33 Hands 35
Hands 32
Basic Message: Specific Technical or Clinical Information on
Appropriate Hand Hygiene practices (brief and not-so- brief). (Some
posters, like Hands 4 & 5, are virtually identical except for use of
the word “clean” when used in general areas and “decontaminate” when
used in staff areas.) Hand 33 and 35 have detailed information on some
topics not covered elsewhere in the series of posters and are good if
you want to provide more specifics than the general information
contained in most of the posters.
The following 4 posters were based on the UK’s Pilot Campaign: “Clean
your hands - It’s OK to Ask.”
Hands 9-12
Basic Message: Attempts to get these various points across in a
humorous or interesting way.
Hands 30 Hands 15 &16
These affirm that hands are the number one way that pathogens get from
person to person.
Hands 23 Hands 20
These are general reminders that just because your hands look and feel
clean doesn’t mean that they are appropriate for patient care without
decontamination.
Hands 28 Hands 19
These three convey that caregivers should feel free to remind each
other to practice hand hygiene. If this was a standard practice and
expectation many believe that compliance would increase.
Hands 22
This is to affirm that hand hygiene improvement needs to be a
permanent change. Health care workers should aspire to make regularly
performing hand decontamination using an alcohol-based hand rub a
habitual good practice.
Hands 6 & 7
This one shows that soap and water is still part of hand
decontamination. (Washing must be done when hands are visibly soiled,
after using the bathroom, or before eating. Alcohol based hand-rubs
are not recommended for these uses.)
Hands 13 &14
This shows a realistic expectation that it takes about 30 seconds to
decontaminate your hands. With alcohol-based hand-rub it is possible
to perform the entire process in about 30 seconds, with soap it will
take a little longer to do all the steps.
Hands 1 Hands 2 & 3
Hands 21
These three are intended as eye-catching general exhortations to
practice hand hygiene. (Hand 2&3 appeals to fans of the original Star
Trek TV series.)