Sample letter - Public Health Ontario

Sample letter
To: Senior Management
Director of Patient Care Services
Chair, Medical Advisory Committee
Chief of Medical Staff
From:
Re: Ontario Just Clean Your Hands, a Multifaceted Approach to Hand Hygiene
Our hospital is currently in the preparation phase of the Ontario’s Just Clean Your Hands
Program, a multifaceted approach to support improvement in hand hygiene compliance rates.
The global evidence indicates that hand hygiene compliance is integrally linked to the
transmission of infection and that compliance rates are under 50%. Two recent studies done in
Ontario showed a compliance rate below 40%
Evidence indicates it takes a combination of leadership, education, environmental changes, the
right hand-cleaning products at the point of care, a hand care program, visual reminders and
ongoing measurement to create a “clean hands” culture with a hospital.
To help hospitals improve hand hygiene, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has
developed the Just Clean Your Hands Program which has the following six components:
1. Senior management support and commitment to make hand hygiene an
organizational priority
2. Environmental changes and systems supports (e.g. alcohol based hand rub at point of
care and a hand care program)
3. Education for health care providers
4. Ongoing monitoring and observations of hand hygiene practices, with feedback to
health care providers
5. Opinion leaders and champions modeling the right behaviour
6. Patient engagement
Just Clean Your Hands program provides tools to assist in implementation of our program. A few
of these tools include:
1. A practical step-by-step implementation guide with associated assessment tools and
survey forms.
2. Education tools: This includes online training modules, PowerPoint presentations and
the use of “Your 4 Moments for Hand Hygiene” to assist health care providers to know
“when and how” to clean their hands at the right time with the right method. The Ontario
pilot showed that health care providers are frequently unaware of key indications for
cleaning their hands.
3. Placement tool for hand hygiene products. Alcohol based hand rub placed at point of
care is convenient, effective, faster and supports healthier hands.
4. Just Clean Your Hands Hand Care Program. This includes a methodology for selection
of products and an assessment tool for health care providers’ hands.
5. Observation Tool and Training Program which includes:
a. Training DVD to show practical scenarios
b. Observation Tool
Sample letter
c. On the Spot feedback
d. Excel workbook and instructions for analysis
6. Prompts and Posters:
a. Your 4 moments for Hand Hygiene
b. Champion posters CD
c. Several different prompts including: How to do hand rub; How to do hand wash.
7. Patient brochure
Note: The Ontario Just Clean Your Hands pilot testing phase found patients are more confident
about their care when a hospital has a hand hygiene program.
Your leadership in performing hand hygiene at the right moment with the right method is crucial
to the success of our hospital program. Without your support as a senior and influential role
model, improved hand hygiene compliance at our hospital is less likely to happen.
The Board of Directors will be receiving reports on the progress of the program along with the
compliance rates.
In particular, I am requesting that you show your support by:
• Discussing hand hygiene improvement at senior and middle management meetings,
Medical Advisory and Nursing Advisory meetings.
• Promoting the importance of hand hygiene in discussions with your professional group,
team and/or department.
• Acting as a good role model for hand hygiene best practices. Those working beside or
under your direction will follow your example.
• Being aware of and demonstrating “Your 4 Moments for hand hygiene”
For more information visit www.justcleanyourhands.ca or contact (name of program
coordinator), Program Coordinator at (contact information).
Our hospital looks forward to your support and suggestions of how to continue to promote and
improve effective hand hygiene at the right moment with the goal to decrease health care
associated infections.
Thank you for your support.
Name
Position
Contact information