Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/611784
19 Executive Briefing hygiene monitoring, since measuring compliance rates and communicating data to employees — like a Fitbit would communicate a step count — can drive improvement and change behavior for the better. Brookwood Medical Center officials saw potential in updating its hand hygiene strategy and decided to invest in SwipeSense technology to improve hand hygiene compliance and ultimately drive down the rate of HAIs. The SwipeSense System is "plug and play" in that it works in tandem with hospitals' existing health IT infrastructures. Location beacons are plugged into outlets in patient rooms, and sensors are mounted to the existing wall-mounted soap or alcohol rub dispensers. Both of these sensors interact with a badge worn by hospital staff, typically behind their existing ID badge. These three sensors interacting with one another allow data to be gathered on worker location and if they washed their hands upon entry and exit of a patient room, two critical moments for hand hygiene. The installation of the system is fairly simple, and does not require any permanent changes or major construction to hospital walls for the insertion of new wires. The entire installation process takes usually less than three weeks, according to Mr. Baker. One additional part of the system worth mentioning is its individual point-of-care dispensers. These are filled with hand sanitizer and worn by hospital staff. Any time a worker uses their personal device, the SwipeSense System records that activity as well. This wearable dispenser allows caregivers to wash every time they touch a patient or something at the bedside without interrupting the flow of care. "If we believe what epidemiology says about stopping the spread of HAIs through hand hygiene, the point- of-care dispenser is very valuable," says Mr. Baker. Data gathered from these sources can be viewed in near-real time, at an individual level or at a unit level, allowing for nearly immediate feedback on performance. Overall, the use of a technology- driven monitoring solution offers a clear advantage to the old way of doing things. "Hospitals need to take an objective look at what they're doing. Look around. Do we really give a nurse a clipboard and ask to see if colleagues wash their hands?" Mr. Iseri says. "What year are we living in? It's very obvious that we need to do this with a computer." Communicating change Everyone who interacts with patients or enters a patient room at Brookwood Medical Center — from housekeeping and security staff to administrators to clinicians — now wears a SwipeSense badge behind their identification badge, according to Ms. Sanders. To achieve this comprehensive adoption, Brookwood deployed a comprehensive communication plan so each employee understood the "why" behind the sensors. Announcements about SwipeSense appeared in weekly newsletters, and the hospital produced "teasers" leading up to the launch, explaining bits and pieces of the system to employees. The hospital also has screens throughout the facility that scroll messages, and the change was communicated there as well. Additionally, the SwipeSense implementation team came to the hospital before launch to help administrators gain an understanding of the system and how it can help reduce HAIs and improve compliance. The SwipeSense team provided administrators with the resources and information they needed to turn and explain the system and the strategy to other staff as well. Using compliance data constructively "The best way to change behavior is to tap into the competitive nature of healthcare workers," Mr. Iseri says. Fortunately, data from SwipeSense can be used perfectly in that fashion. In fact, that's how Ms. Sanders uses the hand hygiene data at Brookwood — in a "friendly competition." There are contests between units and even within units between shifts, with winners receiving things like coffee shop gift cards or pizza parties. Additionally, during every morning safety huddle at the hospital, units go over their score from the previous day and highlight any need for improvement. It's important to note, however, that Ms. Sanders does not use the SwipeSense data to punish under-performers. However, she plans to incorporate compliance data into annual reviews. "Most people, once they see the score, they self-correct," she says. "It's the not knowing what the score is that keeps people being a low-complier." Knowing that the data won't be used in a negative way has helped staff at Brookwood welcome the system with open arms, something Mr. Iseri has observed in other institutions as well. "We need to turn hand hygiene compliance into something people are proud of and not something they're hiding from," he says. "I'm not interested in punishing people — I'm interested in people washing their hands." Since the system installation at Brookwood was finalized in June 2015, hand hygiene compliance increased less than six months later. "We've seen