All Entries in the "WHO" Category
WHO publishes checklist for treating patients with H1N1
Although H1N1 has not been prominently featured on this blog, this checklist from the World Health Organization (WHO) caught my eye because it goes over important infection control and prevention techniques that should be used with every possible H1N1 patient that enters your facility. The WHO Patient Care Checklist: new influenza A (H1N1) released last month by the WHO, can be modified to fit any local practices your facility has also incorporated into treating flu patients. It was tested at facilities around the globe, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA.
For development of the checklist, the WHO sought advice from experts in:
- infection control
- clinical management of pandemic-prone Influenza
- health care checklists
To read more about the checklist, and to find a version written in Spanish, click here to go to the WHO’s Web site.
CNN is reporting that a vaccine for H1N1 will be made available in the U.S. by October. Today, secretary of health and human services Kathleen Sebelius spoke at a “flu summit” mandated by the Obama administration in an effort to launch a national campaign about H1N1. Experts worry that the flu will spread faster once the fall hits and the normal flu season begins.
To read more about today’s summit, click here.
Has your hospital struggled to prepare for an influx of H1N1 cases? Do you anticipate more training in the future?
WHO announces new hand hygiene campaign
Piggy backing off its “Clean Care is Safer” campaign launched in 2005, The World Health Organization (WHO) announced its latest initiative on May 5th. Titled “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands,” the initiative attempts to illustrate how deadly failing to use proper hand hygiene practices can be. Several events took place around the world on May 5th in honor of the initiative’s launch.
The WHO has also posted lots of tools on it’s Web site for those hospitals interested in the initiative, including case studies, videos, and a graphic display touting the “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene” that specifies the five most important times bedside caregivers can perform hand hygiene. They also offer advice on how to educate staff members, a method for gathering feedback on any hand hygiene initiatives started in a facility, and a sample action plan for those hospitals who need guidance.
The concept of cleaning our hands to prevent the spread of infection is not new, yet it’s something that is just not done enough in the healthcare setting. The WHO’s new spin might spur on some creative ideas within your own facility. Has your hospital signed up to be a a part of this new initiative? More than 4,500 hospitals worldwide have done so.
