It’s that time of the year again and I couldn’t be happier.
Two years ago, I started #handhygiene in support of the World Health Organization’s SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign to improve hand hygiene in health care worldwide.
Since then, #handhygiene has grown to include every aspect of health and hygiene from the sublime to the absurd. The hashtag is now listed with the Healthcare Hashtag Project and continues to move ahead without any sign of slowing.
Ultimately, I have to thank people such as Barry Colpitts (@Colpittsb), Patrick Boshell (@DebMedProgram & @Deb_Canada), Louise Taillon (@EnviroWeezy), the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (@Patient_Safety), Michelle Forman (@APHLNews), Lana Targett (@LanaTargett) and our very own handwashing superhero, the Mighty Bubble (@Mighty_Bubble) for making #handhygiene work every day of the year.
There have been hundreds of others who have contributed over the years (some you can see above) and I am grateful to each and every one of them for finding room for #handhygiene somewhere in the 140 characters allowed (it’s not easy!).
Finally, I am truly grateful to the people who inspired #handhygiene in the first place.
To Christy and Sari, I am honoured that you’ve taken the time to notice the hashtag, the work that we are all doing and to share your plans and materials with The Germ Guy.
Now for this year’s #handhygiene day…
I’ll be sending out messages from the WHO pointing out why we celebrate this day and why we need to keep focusing on how to keep our patients safe. I’ll be posting to Twitter, Facebook and of course here on my blog. I hope that you take the time to read, share, retweet and comment.
One final note – if you have any personal stories, concerns or ideas, be sure to put them here. I’ll be sharing them with the people at the WHO in the hopes that they will continue to keep record of the realities that exist and how we can best move forward in safety, health and of course, #handhygiene.
Until tomorrow…
Happy #handhygiene Day!
It’s May 5th and the world is celebrating!
(yes, it’s Cinco de Mayo, but it’s also…)
Or, as I like to call it: #handhygiene Day!
The original reason for this day was to help prevent infections in health care activities worldwide. While others and myself have expanded the scope to include any hand hygiene activities, the WHO still keeps its focus on making some of the worst offenders…doctors and other health care professionals…get with the message and start to help rather than hinder health.
With that, here are a few ways to learn a little more about the importance of #handhygiene and to engage others in discussion, debate and of course, silly photo sharing!
1. Press Release
Here’s a great press release that offers a little more insight into why Clean Your Hands Day exists and perhaps a few pieces of data that some might not want to know.
2. Twitter Feed
If you take a peek to the right of this page, you’ll notice my twitter feed. I’m working to share the seven important points on #handhygiene. There are some fundamentals that simply need to be known to stay safe anywhere. I hope you check out my feed – or just click here – and enjoy
3. Share YOUR story!
I know that each and every one of us has a story to tell about how #handhygiene has helped us in one way or another. I have several although perhaps my favorite occurred about 15 years ago in a land quite far away:
It was 1997 and I was deep in the Southern regions of Turkey on a tour tracing back the history of our civilization (hey, I’m kinda into that stuff!). The tour bus came to a stop at a convenience stand that acted as a grocery, restaurant and pit stop. After picking up some lokum in the grocery and some elma chai in the resto, I went for the pit stop. Let’s just say that our concept of a toilet is different there.
(they lose a dimension it seems).
It was one of my first times working with a 2-D toilet and it didn’t go well. I won’t get into details but I was thankful that there was a hose running nearby.
I had ‘finished my business’ I noticed that there was no sink. When I ventured back to the stand, I asked for soap and water (sabun ve su) and was met with a curious glance. A moment later, the nice gentleman revealed a bottle with a yellow liquid inside. He presented it to my nose and I noticed that it was a lemon scented perfume. It was a nice thought but it wasn’t about to help.
Back when I was a child, my mother had come up with a great formulation to stop the the spread of infections. It was a combination of 70% rubbing alcohol and 10% glycerin. The formulation had been used for decades ‘under the radar’ as a means to prevent infections in the field. For me, the mixture had been a hand saver on many occasions throughout my school and university years and it was going to be nearby during any trip.
So, with a nod to the gentleman, I went back to the bus, found my backpack and took out a small bottle containing the mixture. That moment of knowing that you are safe is unlike any other. At that moment, I put the that bottle in my pant pocket and decided that for as long as I live, I’ll never be unprepared again.
It’s my prop de vivre!
Okay, now it’s your turn! Share your story on how #handhygiene has helped you stay safe in the comment box below and I’ll share it with the rest of the Twitterverse!
4. Share your photo
Everyone loves a great photo! Now it’s your turn to share your #handhygiene photo with the world.
CELEBRATE!
All right, it’s time for me to sign off and spread the sanitizer! Have a fantastic #handhygiene day and I look forward to reading your stories and seeing your photos.
Happy #handhygiene Day to you all!
Tell everyone!
Like this: