New results from a study about hand hygiene show that AniCura’s veterinary professionals have improved their hand hygiene. Proper hand hygiene is the single most important measure for preventing infections and the spread of resistant bacteria.
For the third year in a row, AniCura completed a study about hand hygiene at 80 veterinary clinics in Europe. The study, which is part of AniCura’s quality program, showed an average consumption of 8.4 ml hand sanitiser per patient and day, compared to 7.3 ml per patient and day in 2017.
- I am pleased to see that most clinics in the study have increased their consumption of hand sanitiser. Although we are moving in the right direction, I believe all of us in veterinary care can improve our hand hygiene further, says Ulrika Grönlund, Group Medical Quality Manager, AniCura.
Hands can be contaminated with bacteria and viruses from an infected patient or contaminated surfaces. The microorganisms can then transfer to another patient and in worst case cause an infection. Within healthcare, hand sanitisers offer the best and most effective way of removing bacteria and viruses as they do not cause problems with dry and cracked skin, in contrast to the use of soap and water.
- Measuring the consumption of hand sanitiser and creating awareness among employees about the importance of proper hand hygiene and how to disinfect hands, have significant impact on patient safety, says Ulrika Grönlund.
The hand hygiene study was performed during May 2018 at 80 clinics in Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The study also found that clinics on average had one hand sanitiser dispenser per patient room. Almost 80 per cent of the veterinary clinics in the study had documented hygiene routines and guidelines.
Advice to veterinary professionals
- Make sure to have documented routines for infection control and hand hygiene at the clinic
- Have one person at the clinic appointed to coordinate the in-clinic infection control work
- Ensure dispensers with alcohol-based hand sanitizer are accessible for all employees
- Disinfect hands before and after contact with each patient, and before putting gloves on and after taking them off
- Always use disinfection when moving from a patient to the surrounding environment to prevent contamination of for example keyboards, cupboards, drawers and equipment
For further information, please contact
Maria Tullberg, Group Communications Manager, AniCura, +46 736 268 886