At Comanche County Memorial Hospital, “We believe in a culture of safety, quality, and patient satisfaction.” We encourage all patients and guests to Speak Up if they have any questions or concerns about the care they are receiving.
Proper Hand Hygiene is the best way to prevent the spread of germs and hospital associated infections. That is why our goal is 100% hand hygiene compliance, to achieve the lowest hospital-acquired infection rate in the state.
PATIENTS AND VISITORS
Germs that can cause serious infections are in every healthcare facility. They can be on our healthcare providers’ hands and also your own.
It’s OK to ask for clean hands. It could save your life. Make sure everyone around you has clean hands to protect against infection!
CLEAN HANDS FACTS
- A 2013 undercover study found only 5% of people clean their hands correctly. Don’t be a statistic! Rub in alcohol gel for at least 15 seconds and when using soap and water, scrub hands for at least 20 seconds. Don’t forget the areas between your fingers!
- Clean hands save lives! Researchers in London estimate that if everyone cleaned their hands routinely, a million deaths a year could be prevented.
- Over 48 million people get sick every year from foodborne illnesses. According to the CDC, failing to watch hands correctly contributes to nearly 50% of all foodborne illness outbreaks. Remember to clean your hands before you eat!
- On average, cell phones have 500 times more germs on their surface than a toilet seat! Answer the call for clean hands – feel free to use our hand sanitizer stations whenever you see one!
- An average office desk can have more than 20,000 germs per square inch – about 400 times more germs than a toilet seat! Don’t let germs stack up – clean your hands frequently!
- The average person’s hands can carry at least 3,000 different bacteria. Remember to clean your hands frequently to protect your health!
- Don’t undo good work! After washing and drying hands, use a paper towel to turn off the sink faucet and open the bathroom door.
- Good hand washing includes good hand drying! Make sure hands are dry before touching surfaces after hand washing. Damp hands can spread up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry ones!
- Bacteria can survive on hands for up to 3 hours, and under optimal conditions, the number of bacteria on your hands can double every 20 minutes! Cleaning your hands regularly keeps bacteria in check.
- According to the CDC, cleaning your hands is the single most important way to prevent the spread of infection. Please use our hand sanitizer stations throughout the building whenever you see one!
- Did you know? In most cases, antibacterial soap is no more effective than plain soap with proper handwashing. The key to success is cleaning your hands properly! When using soap and water, scrub hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, and remember to dry them thoroughly!
- Using hand sanitizer is a good way to clean your hands when soap and water isn’t available, but it isn’t effective if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy. In these cases, it’s best to find a sink and lather up!
Learn more at www.cdc.gov/HandHygiene
