In 2020, the novel coronavirus has upended the world. In patient care facilities, staff are under tremendous pressure to contain COVID-19. Throughout this continued fight, maintaining effective hygiene practices in facilities has been an essential measure in slowing the spread of disease.
Tork, the leading professional hygiene brand, has strived to help those on the front lines endure by providing effective and accessible hygiene products that make upholding hygiene compliance simple. With a range of hygiene solutions – from sanitizers to hand towels to training materials – Tork solutions help hospitals and healthcare facilities secure a high hygiene standard expected in these environments, without disrupting workflows.
With hygiene undoubtedly top of mind, Tork prepared a Hospital Hygiene Bundle, available on its Tork Clean Care for Healthcare site, which provides hospitals with a go-to guide of trusted hygiene solutions for patient care and throughout hospital operations. In addition to outfitting facilities with the right solutions, it’s also important to keep tried-and-true hygiene best practices in mind:
- Hand Hygiene – Added attention must be given to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene:
- Before touching a patient
- Before a clean/aseptic procedure
- After body fluid exposure risk
- After touching a patient
- After touching a patient’s surroundings
These five steps lay the foundation for effective hand hygiene protocols, but it’s important to continually train and educate staff on how to complete proper hand hygiene. The Tork VR Clean Hands Training and Education is a great way to kick-start your hand hygiene training program. With a virtual reality format, the downloaded training app provides a fun and interactive way for healthcare workers to engage in simulated situations to ensure they’re up to speed and practicing proper hand hygiene.
- Surface Cleaning – Routine surface cleaning must be a part of any healthcare facilities’ hygiene routine. Proper surface cleaning helps prevent cross-contamination, so that patients and staff can feel safe throughout the healthcare environment. Tork understands the critical role environmental services (EVS) staff play in securing this critical part of hygiene protocols. High-touch surfaces, such as door handles and hospital bed rails, should be at the top of any surface-cleaning checklist, which is available for download on the Tork site along with an EVS best practices guide for healthcare facilities.
- Dispenser Placement – Strategically placed hand sanitizer dispensers can make all of the difference in a facility’s hygiene compliance. Optimal dispenser placement reinforces hand hygiene by keeping hygiene solutions in frequently trafficked areas where people can see can them, and they’re easy to access. For a full guide on optimizing dispenser placement in your facility, check out the Tork Dispenser Placement Guide.
In addition to hospitals that have continued to meet the critical health needs of people globally, Tork also recognizes and appreciates the need for other healthcare settings, such as long term care (LTC) facilities, to be equipped with the tools they need to resume visits from family and loved ones for residents. The Tork LTC Reopening Guide outlines safety measures and hygiene protocols that long term care facilities should consider when reopening their space to visitors, and it provides a roadmap for how facilities can effectively educate visitors on best hygiene practices – all with the goal of achieving proper hygiene compliance and ensuring patient, visitor and staff safety.
No matter your setting, all patient care facilities will continue to play one of the most vital roles in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Maintaining hygiene compliance is an essential aspect of these healthcare operations. For more information on fortifying your facility, visit: TorkUSA.com.