Established in 1986, International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) celebrates Infection Preventionists and aims to assist in decreasing the spread of infection in healthcare facilities. This year’s theme is “Celebrating the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention” with a goal to return to the basics of infection prevention.

The Basics

Understanding the basics of infection prevention begins with hand hygiene. Cleaning hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer can make a huge difference in infection prevention. According to the World Health Organization, “Appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during healthcare delivery, including those affecting the health work force.”

Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance 

Infection Preventionists are working every day to break the chain of infection throughout the continuum of care. One of the best ways to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs) is to improve hand hygiene compliance rates. How do you improve hand hygiene compliance rates?

Acceptance + Compliance = Lower HAIs

If healthcare workers like the hand hygiene products available to them, they will use those products and, as a result, help prevent HAIs.

Symmetry Hand Hygiene 

Symmetry manufactures products that outperform other hand hygiene lines in overall quality and feel after repeated use. These products are gentle on healthcare workers’ hands, encouraging them to wash and sanitize them frequently.

With Point of Care Tools like lanyards, tray table suction cups, and cart brackets, Symmetry strives to make hand hygiene available throughout the workflow. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program also utilizes behavioral science to drive hand hygiene compliance. These unique placards, beacons, and visual lighting cues help draw attention to opportunities for hand hygiene in the moment.

Learn more about the complete program and how Symmetry works with Infection Preventionists to increase hand hygiene compliance and reduce infections in healthcare facilities by contacting your local representative.

Thank you to all the Infection Preventionists who are doing their part to keep healthcare facilities safe for everyone.

This week is International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). Established in 1986, IIPW raises awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety. This year’s theme, “The Future is Infection Prevention: 50 Years of Infection Prevention”, aims to show appreciation for APIC’s past work in infection prevention while inspiring new IPs to continue this important work.

Though there are many ways to reduce the spread of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), the most important way is to clean your hands. Symmetry strives to reduce HAIs with gentle products that people want to use in reliable dispensing systems.

Symmetry’s programmatic approach to hand hygiene educates and encourages proper hand hygiene practice with educational tools, the Symmetry Behavior Modification System, and Point of Care tools. Its education and awareness tools include posters and wall charts, designed to explain the “How” and “Why” of proper hand hygiene. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System consists of a series of unique placards and signs with messages designed to inspire and maximize hand hygiene practices. Symmetry Point of Care items include suction cups, brackets, and lanyards that make it possible to access hand sanitizer while workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading germs.

On behalf of Symmetry and Buckeye International, we’d like to thank our IPs for the work they continue to do while fighting COVID-19, the flu, and other healthcare associated infections. International Infection Prevention Week happens every third week of October, but infection prevention is a full-time job. Check out all of the tools APIC provides to keep you informed about infection prevention here.

Contact your local representative for more information about Symmetry products and how a complete hand hygiene program can improve compliance in your facility.

This week is International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). The goal of IIPW is to raise awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety.

The theme for this year’s IIPW is Protecting Patients Everywhere. With a theme this broad, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) is promoting topics ranging from the use of antibiotics to proper hand hygiene. Protecting Patients Everywhere is about protecting patients and others through the continuum of care.

The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program can help you improve infection prevention in your facility. Following proper hand hygiene steps is one of the best ways to help improve patient well-being. Symmetry has all of the hand hygiene tools you’ll need to improve hand hygiene practices in your facility.

Symmetry products reduce common disease-causing bacteria, making them a reliable choice for facilities looking to stop the spread of disease. More than that, Symmetry products are gentle on your hands.

However, having the proper products available in your facility isn’t enough. This is why the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program comes with tools to help motivate people to keep their hands clean. Its education and awareness tools include things like posters and wall charts, designed to explain the “How” and “Why” of proper hand hygiene. Symmetry also utilizes behavioral science to create unique placards and signs with messages designed to inspire and maximize hand hygiene practices.

For IIPW, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is focusing on infection prevention throughout the continuum of care. Symmetry provides Point of Care tools for healthcare facility workers to use throughout care for a patient. Suction cups, brackets, and lanyards make it possible to access hand sanitizer while workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading germs.

The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program is just one of many ways your facility can work to reduce the spread of germs. International Infection Prevention Week happens every third week of October, but infection prevention is a year-round job. Check out all of the tools APIC provides to keep you informed about infection prevention on their website.