It’s time again to celebrate and raise awareness for International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). Established in 1986, IIPW highlights the critical role infection preventionists play in improving patient safety. This year’s theme, “Moving the Needle on Infection Prevention”, emphasizes the progress made across healthcare in reducing the spread of infections.
The Role of Hand Hygiene
One of the most essential aspects of infection prevention is maintaining proper hand hygiene. Regular handwashing or using hand sanitizer can dramatically reduce the transmission of infections within healthcare facilities. According to the World Health Organization, hand hygiene improvement programs can prevent up to 50% of avoidable infections during healthcare delivery.
Lower HAIs
Infection preventionists work tirelessly to combat infections and diseases, especially with ongoing outbreaks and viruses affecting our daily lives. One of the best ways to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is by improving hand hygiene awareness—whether through better access to sanitizer and soap or increasing public awareness in shared spaces.
Acceptance = Compliance = Lower HAIs
Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program
Symmetry’s® comprehensive approach supports healthcare professionals by providing high-quality, gentle hand hygiene products, along with tools like the Symmetry Behavior Modification System and Point of Care items. These resources help reinforce hand hygiene practices at critical moments throughout the day.
Point of Care Tools
Symmetry’s Point of Care tools help hospitals reach their infection prevention goals, including those outlined in APIC’s Patient Hand Hygiene Toolkit. This toolkit compiles data from several studies, concluding that a lack of patient hand hygiene contributes to room contamination and the spread of infection.
With Symmetry, healthcare facilities can increase patient awareness and provide greater access to hand hygiene tools such as tray tables, bedside dispensers, and other easily accessible stations. This creates more opportunities for patients to clean their hands throughout the hospital, ultimately helping reduce infection rates.
Thank you to all infection preventionists for the invaluable work you do in safeguarding the health of patients, staff, and communities. Infection prevention is an ongoing commitment, and every effort helps to move the needle towards safer care for everyone.
For more information about how Symmetry can help prevent infections in your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.