Skin health and surface hygiene experts are urging the healthcare industry to join them in backing the WHO’s annual ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign.
As a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Private Organizations for Patient Safety group, GOJO Industries-Europe is a strong supporter of the WHO’s annual ‘Save Lives: Clean Your Hands’ campaign and is encouraging everybody in the healthcare industry to get involved.
The worldwide advocacy day takes place on 5 May 2019. This year, the campaign highlights the importance that hand hygiene plays in the global movement to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), ie: securing better health and wellbeing for all people at all ages.
Infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene, is critical to accomplish UHC, being a practical and evidence-based approach, with demonstrated impact on quality of care and patient safety across all levels of the health system.
The annual campaign and advocacy day targets a cross-section of influencers in the global healthcare sector. This year’s calls to action are:
- Health workers: “Champion clean care – it’s in your hands.”
- IPC leaders: “Monitor infection prevention and control standards – take action and improve practices.”
- Health facility leaders: “Is your facility up to WHO infection control and hand hygiene standards? Take part in the WHO survey 2019 and take action!”
- Ministries of health: “Does your country meet infection prevention and control standards? Monitor and act to achieve quality universal health coverage.”
- Patient advocacy groups: “Ask for clean care – it’s your right.”
SC Johnson Professional is raising awareness of the importance of skin health as part of its collaboration with The Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) Glove Awareness Week. Throughout the campaign, SC Johnson Professional will be collaborating with The RCN to help promote correct glove use and hand hygiene compliance within the healthcare industry, and raise awareness of preventing, recognising and managing work-related dermatitis.
As part of Glove Awareness Week, The Royal College of Nursing will be hosting a oneday event on Thursday 2 May to challenge, celebrate and debate the use of gloves as part of the delivery of health and care in all settings.
Free advocacy toolkits to support the WHO Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign are available on the WHO website: http://www.who.int/infection-prevention/ campaigns/clean-hands/en/ .”
