Building a hygiene action of plan

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Having a proper hygiene plan in place for environmental services (EVS) teams can empower them to contribute more effectively and achieve this holistic goal across a health care facility’s key areas and departments. “Tork Clean Care,” developed and provided by Tork, an Essity brand, is an online program that provides educational materials, tools and recommendations to EVS teams, which they can leverage to strengthen their hygiene plan and set teams up for success. Areas of focus include:

• Training and education. Eight in 10 health care workers would like to receive better hand-hygiene training. EVS leaders can contribute greatly to this effort and address this by implementing education and training sessions to better inform their staff. Hand-hygiene trainings can range from signage tools posted throughout the facility that provide instructions and best practices, to virtual reality trainings that offer an immersive and engaging training experience for all staff, including EVS teams. EVS teams can incorporate relevant learning and development opportunities into their overall plan to foster communication and education among EVS staff and other health care departments in critical areas of safety and hygiene.
• Tools and product recommendations. In addition to the program’s premium training and educational resources, it also offers a variety of helpful insights that EVS teams can utilize in their short- and long-term planning. For example, it includes considerations for optimal dispenser placement to ensure EVS staff are able to maintain safe practices throughout the facility — across critical, patient and general areas. Additionally, the program offers key recommendations based on department needs, including EVS teams. Products that are tough yet gentle on the hands enable EVS staff to effectively clean areas without sacrificing their own comfort. 

Keeping lines of communication open with other facility departments ensures all teams are on the same page about best practices. By instituting a more collaborative approach to hand hygiene, organizations can increase the uptake of the World Health Organization’s “5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” recommendations and increase usage of hand sanitizers in health care facilities. 

As always, equipping EVS departments with the toolkit they need will help them meet and exceed their operational goals without compromising safety or hygiene.