Medical errors were the third leading cause of death in 2018; proper hand hygiene is the first line of defense in preventing preventable errors. Because of the prevalence and severity of healthcare-related infections, the nonprofit Joint Commission that certifies healthcare organizations has increased its standards and protocol. 

If a joint commission surveyor sees one staff member fail to wash their hands after direct patient care, they will cite the whole hospital. One citation puts a hospital on the map, making them more susceptible to closer monitoring and potential loss of accreditation. This surveillance has only increased as our world has required more infection control than ever. 

Beyond being cited, proper handwashing saves lives. All the people that come into contact with patients – cleaning staff, maintenance workers, leadership – every individual physically in the building at the hospital’s request is responsible for maintaining proper handwashing hygiene. 

The project managers at Hallsta foresee every single one of these people and moments. It’s easy to overlook those who work in hospitals who don’t have a healthcare providers’ clinical background or education. That’s why all of our contractors receive and sign a Policy and Procedures Manual and Infection Control Plan that outlines each safety variable, including the simple ones like washing your hands. A lot. Handwashing is just the tip of the iceberg in our safety procedures, and we’ll get more into those in weeks to come. 

We’re starting here because it’s the simplest and sometimes most effective task, and because it’s Handwashing Awareness Week! Take this week to remind all your staff to wash their hands. They know the drill – wet, lather, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse, dry. Not just with sanitizer – handwashing removes more germs than sanitizing alone, and a hospital has no shortage of germs. Such simple steps make a massive difference in the effectiveness of your healthcare and the wellbeing of your patients.