10-Year-Old Florida Twins' Hip-Hop Handwashing Routine Wins Second Annual APIC Film Festival

Ten-year-old twin brothers Jerry and Josie Herman, rapping about proper hand hygiene, won first place in the second annual Film Festival during the 39th  Annual Educational Conference & International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Scrub-a-Dub Dub was written and produced by the Creative Services Department at All Childrens Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. The video features former All Children's patient Jerry and his twin brother Josie, also of St. Petersburg. Jerry spent several months in All Childrens ICU almost totally paralyzed by Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder which affects the nervous system. Thanks to the high-quality care he received at All Childrens, Jerry is now able to keep up with his twin.

The creative team produced a crisp, three-and-a-half minute video that not only reinforces proper hand hygiene technique for healthcare professionals, but also encourages patients and families to participate in this important infection prevention strategy.

The video won top honor for its whimsical tone, but also its strong underlying message about hand hygiene delivered with a childs bluntness. The chorus states: We dont care if youre a doctor, a parent, or nurse; if youve got patient contact, you wash your hands first!

To underscore their message, Jerry and Josie provide step-by-step instructions to teach viewers how best to wash their hands.

We are honored to recognize All Childrens Hospital for the creative and effective way they are promoting hand hygiene, says Barb DeBaun, RN, MSN, CIC, chair of APICs 2012 Annual Conference Committee. Scrub-a-Dub-Dub is entertaining, but also drives home a critical message for all audiencesthat proper hand hygiene can prevent the spread of infection in healthcare settings and at home.

APIC Annual Conference attendees will have the chance to view the Peoples Choice Award nominees and vote for their favorite, to be presented at the closing plenary on June 6. The nominees, who come from facilities in São Paulo and San Francisco, Indianapolis and Honolulu, among others, were chosen out of nearly 40 video submissions.

The videos focus on compelling issues, such as the spread of healthcare-associated infections, reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and the role of environmental services in infection prevention. Still others highlight topics ranging from central line-associated blood stream infections, the proper transportation of patients with infections, and the importance of flu vaccines.