By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    The Geographic Divide: How Federalism Has Formalized Health Disparities
    June 17, 2014
    Henderson Cosmetic Dentist Marielaina Perrone DDS
    Antibiotic Guidelines For Dental Patients
    January 24, 2013
    Practice Pointers in the Wake of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Privacy Settlement
    August 13, 2014
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Pump, Rub, Clean, Repeat: Save Lives with Proper Hand Hygiene
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Pump, Rub, Clean, Repeat: Save Lives with Proper Hand Hygiene
TechnologyWellness

Pump, Rub, Clean, Repeat: Save Lives with Proper Hand Hygiene

Paul Alper
Paul Alper
Share
4 Min Read
hand hygiene
SHARE

hand hygieneFlu season. Deadly super bugs. Whatever the threat of disease or infection, hand washing, as simple and obvious at it seems, is always one of the first and highest recommended tactics for combatting the spread of contagious germs and bacteria. Physicians and infection control specialists recommend proper hand hygiene techniques to the general public. But do they adhere to these techniques themselves?

hand hygieneFlu season. Deadly super bugs. Whatever the threat of disease or infection, hand washing, as simple and obvious at it seems, is always one of the first and highest recommended tactics for combatting the spread of contagious germs and bacteria. Physicians and infection control specialists recommend proper hand hygiene techniques to the general public. But do they adhere to these techniques themselves?

A new technology is now helping enforce what many may find to be a surprisingly low level of hospital hand hygiene compliance. And the methodology is seemingly simple – the group mentality. With wall-mounted dispensers containing tiny chips that report the number of “pumps” back to a main computer system, hospitals are now making notable strides in increasing compliance and are well on the road to reducing the  estimated ninety-nine thousand deaths each year caused by preventable healthcare-associated infections. That’s what I call smarter.

More than 160 years ago, Ignaz Semmelweiss, an Austrian physician, proved the link between hand hygiene and reducing infections and deaths. Yet still today, we face this staggering statistic. And until the advent of this technology, “Direct Observation” had been considered the “gold standard” for measuring healthcare worker behavior.  At its most basic form, a hospital staff member stands behind a doctor or nurse and checks off a box on a form with pen, paper and clipboard. One word comes to my mind with this type of process: Antiquated.

More Read

Woman with weight loss pills, jumping rope and measuring tape at
A Guide To Wegovy Semaglutide for Weight Management
Self Service Now Has a Spot In Preventive Healthcare
When Culture Trumps Knowledge: Breaking Habits Takes More than New Research
Is Organic Food More Nutritious?
Keep in Great Shape This Winter by Staying Motivated to Run

So throw out the pen and paper. This new and emerging electronic group monitoring system is being shown in research studies to be the most reliable and effective way to measure.

Here’s how it works. The Group Monitoring System (GMS™) holds staff accountable as an entire group without any pointed fingers, Big Brother video-taping or colleagues peeking over shoulders with the direct observation method. This system collects dispenser usage data (how many times healthcare workers within a specific unit actually washed and/or sanitized their hands).

Further, it works in adherence with the World Health Organization’s Five Moments for hand hygiene, which includes hand washing or sanitizing before touching a patient, before aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure, after touching a patient and after touching patient surroundings.

I want to save lives and I’m positive you feel the same. Let’s work smarter together. Implementing innovative, and extremely cost-effective, standards-based technologies can create real change and save lives. Let’s take a stand to protect the two million patients who should not contract preventable healthcare-associated infections, and help prevent the ninety-nine thousand deaths caused each year. It’s time we take a harder look at hand hygiene in the healthcare space and do everything possible, including the simple act of properly washing our hands, to save lives.

(handwashing / shutterstock)

TAGGED:hygiene
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025

You Might also Like

Image
eHealthMobile HealthSocial MediaTechnology

3 Best Health Care Tips – mHealth to Social Media Networking

May 17, 2012
mckesson product recall
eHealthMedical DevicesMedical RecordsTechnology

A Medical Device Recall of an EHR-like Product

March 22, 2014
Medical InnovationsTechnology

5 Reasons Why Doctors Are Considering Artificial Disc Replacement Over Cervical Fusions

June 10, 2017
doctors sxsw videogames
Medical EducationMedical InnovationsNews

Teamwork + SXSW + Minecraft + Healthcare = Sum Greater Than Parts

March 28, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?