United in Safety was the theme of Patient Safety Awareness Week, led by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) and held March 8-14, 2015. GOJO Industries, a leader in hand hygiene and skin health and inventors of PURELL® Hand Sanitizer, joined the NPSF and hospitals across the United States to educate and gain awareness for the critical importance of patient safety.
"In the healthcare industry, everyone plays a role in patient safety," says David Mackay, GOJO vice president of sales and marketing, healthcare. "Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infections in healthcare settings. At GOJO, Patient Safety Awareness Week provides us with the opportunity to discuss the importance of hand hygiene and its impact on patient safety."
To celebrate Patient Safety Awareness Week, GOJO provided more than 21,600 bottles of PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer and hand hygiene materials for both patients and healthcare professionals. Studies have consistently demonstrated the importance of using PURELL Hand Sanitizer in healthcare settings. When used, infection rates in long-term care facilities were reduced by 30 percent(1) and 36 percent in a hospital setting.(2)
GOJO began selling PURELL Hand Sanitizer in the healthcare market in 2001. Today, GOJO offers a breadth of hand hygiene solutions to the healthcare market including high-efficacy formulations, advanced technology dispensing systems and the GOJO SMARTLINK™ Hand Hygiene Solution that is built upon a state-of-the-art electronic compliance monitoring platform. GOJO also provides solutions and education resources to engage healthcare works and patients to increase hand hygiene compliance, reduce infections and improve patient safety.
References:
1. Fendler EJ, Ali Y, Hammond BS. Lyons MK, Kelly MB, Vowell NA, Effects of alcohol hand sanitizer on infection control in an extended care facility. Am J Infect Control. 2002, 30:226-233.
2. The Use of Alcohol Hand Sanitizer as an Effective Infection Control Strategy in an Acute Care Facility. Hilburn J. Texas Society of Infection Control Practitioners; Fendler EJ, Groziak PA, Hammond BS. Am J Infect Control. 1999, 27:332-338.
Source: GOJO Industries, Inc.
