October 1 , 2004

Join the 50/70 Club

The Clean Sweepstakes — a friendly competition among patient care units to achieve the highest hand hygiene compliance — has just completed its third quarter, and the STOP — Stop the Transmission of Pathogens — Task Force has announced that an extra recognition will be added to the regular Clean Sweepstakes reward for the final quarter of 2004. Every unit that achieves a compliance rate of at least 50 percent before and 70 percent after contact with a patient or a patient's environment will receive a special reward. The unit must meet both the before and after goals from October through December to win this acknowledgement and become a member of the new 50/70 Club.

Two units, Bigelow 9 — led by hand hygiene champions Ashley Stockmann, RN, and Angela Genco, RN — and Ellison 14 — led by champions Susan O'Donnell, RN, Theresa McDonnell, RN, and Theresa Farrow, RN — have already achieved these hand hygiene compliance rates during previous quarters.

"We are confident that each and every unit can achieve this goal and join the 50/70 Club," says Judy Tarselli, RN, of the MGH Infection Control Unit and a member of the STOP Task Force. "Employees should remember that the hand hygiene of all staff and physicians present on any unit may be monitored, so they should be aware and give friendly reminders to each other, if needed. We are encouraging everyone
to be a safety advocate for our patients."