“If you don’t make it [hand hygiene products] convenient right there at that second, no one is going to go around the corner and wash their hands. It must be available in the flow of what the employee is doing”
William Parks, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Hermann the Woodlands
The 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene approach defines the key moments when healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene. This evidence-based, field-tested, user-centered approach is designed to be easy to learn, logical and applicable in a wide range of settings.
1. Before Resident Contact
Clean your hands before touching a resident when approaching him or her.
2. Before Aseptic Task
Clean your hands immediately before performing a clean/aseptic procedure.
3. After Body Fluid Exposure Risk
Clean your hands immediately after an exposure risk to body fluids (and after glove removal).
4. After Resident Contact
Clean your hands immediately after touching a resident and his or her immediate surroundings when leaving.
5. After Contact with Resident Surroundings
Clean your hands after touching any object or furniture in the resident’s immediate surroundings, when leaving – even without touching the resident.
Point of Care refers to the moments when healthcare workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading infections. Increase hand hygiene compliance, and reduce HAIs (healthcare-associated infections) with Symmetry Point of Care items.
Symmetry Point of Care items give care providers easy access to hand hygiene opportunities while working directly with residents.
Increase hand hygiene compliance, improve HCAHPS scores, and reduce HAIs (healthcare associated infections) with these Symmetry Point of Care items:
“The aim of point of care availability is to provide access to hand hygiene products in the ‘patient zone’ – the location where the patient and healthcare personnel and environment intersect.”
APIC Implementation Guide: Guide to Hand Hygiene Programs for Infection Prevention
Your symmetry representative sets a date and time with you to hold a product evaluation Expo at your facility.
Participants test hand hygiene products and fill out a product evaluation survey.
Once product testing and evaluation are complete, the results from each hand hygiene program are tallied and revealed.