KCP Hand Hygiene pledges help raise $5k for UNICEF
Monday 13th December 2010
Kimberly-Clark Professional inspires nearly 400 Health Care Workers from hospitals across the country to make a pledge for hand hygiene during International Infection Prevention Week, helping to raise $5,000 for UNICEF Australia’s Water and Sanitation Appeal.
Each year around 200,000 cases of Health Care Associated Infections (HAIs) occur in Australia contributing to more than 7,000 deaths*. Good hand hygiene is critical to reducing the spread of HAIs by breaking the chain of infection.
Kimberly-Clark Professional has been working with hospitals across Australia to increase hand hygiene compliance, reduce the spread of HAIs and make hospitals a safer place for all. St George Private Hospital in South Eastern Sydney proved their commitment to the cause during this year’s International Infection Prevention Week, with 70% of the hand hygiene pledges made coming from this hospital’s staff. Melbourne’s Dandenong hospital and Newcastle Private Hospital also put in an enormous amount of effort that resulted in a $5,000 donation to UNICEF’s Water and Sanitation Appeal.
UNICEF Australia’s Chief Executive, Norman Gillespie said “thank you to Kimberly-Clark for your donation to UNICEF’s water and sanitation appeal from the Hand Hygiene campaign. Approximately, 4,500 children still die each day from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation. UNICEF work in more than 90 countries around the world improving water supplies and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, as well as promoting safe hygiene practices, we appreciate your support in this work. It is great to see our organisations working hard to promote hygiene to save lives.”
Anne-Maree Bustos from Kimberly-Clark Professional says, “The aim of the campaign was to encourage Health Care Workers to feel equally responsible for hand hygiene and inspire them to lead by example. By making a pledge for hand hygiene, these dedicated Health Care Workers have helped increase awareness of the issue and also set a good example for colleagues and patients.”
Kimberly-Clark Professional continues to work with hospitals to provide Health Care Workers with the tools to become advocates and ambassadors for hand hygiene. Part of this is distributing care packs containing helpful hints, information and communication tools covering Hand Hygiene Australia’s ‘5 Moments for Hand Hygiene,’ helping everyone at the hospital play an active role in HAI prevention.
* According to the Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
For further information contact:
Anne-Maree Bustos, Segment Marketing Manager, Kimberly-Clark Professional 02 9963 8826
Joanna McCarthy, External Communications Manager, Kimberly-Clark 02 9963 8732 / 0412 162 152
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Hand hygiene
- The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has made hand hygiene a national priority with the establishment of Hand Hygiene Australia (www.hha.org.au/).
- Hand hygiene is critical to reducing the spread of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) by breaking the chain of infection.
- Now more than ever, action needs to be taken to increase hand hygiene compliance to make hospitals a safer place for all.
- HAIs are a serious safety issue for the hospital and represent a significant cost burden.
- Programs to increase hand hygiene compliance are essential in ensuring hospitals are a safer place for all.
- Hospital staff, patients and their visitors play a vital role in this fight.
Research
- Kimberly-Clark Professional has invested in extensive research to understand the barriers and triggers to hand hygiene compliance.
- Infection Control Practitioners (ICPs) feel isolated as management often perceives infection control as a cost rather than benefit, and nurses tend to view them as enforcers of infection control instead of a resource.
- Health Care Workers (HCWs) are very informed about hand hygiene protocols and understand the repercussions of not abiding and don’t appreciate being singled out as the problem. They also feel frustrated by juggling the reality and expectations of their job.
- Hospital Visitors fail to see themselves as part of the effort or have little or no awareness of hand hygiene as an issue.
- Not only do HAIs contribute to deaths they impose a huge financial burden to hospitals. The Medical Journal of Australia states that, ‘Surgical site infections are estimated to cost as much as $268 million each year and the total annual Health Care costs associated with blood stream infections may be as high as $686 million.’
Unicef’s Water and Sanitation Appeal
Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation are two of the biggest problems facing impoverished people. Hand-washing with soap is one of the most effective ways to prevent diseases that kill millions of people in developing countries every year. They often have nowhere to wash their hands and they may never have even considered doing so, not knowing the link between hygiene and disease.
For more information visit www.unicef.org.au
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