Tips and Educational Activities

No matter what your position is, you can help improve handwashing practices at your facility by encouraging your supervisors to help make sure all staff, administrators, and supervisors understand and practice good handwashing behavior. The following are recommended activities and tips for promoting good handwashing behavior at your site:

• Hold regular in-service training. All providers should receive updates on clinical techniques and information on a regular basis. Information about good infection prevention practices--including good handwashing behavior--should be a part of this in-service training.
• Hold staff orientations. Everyone at your facility--from doormen, to receptionists, to medical staff, to administrators--are part of the infection-prevention team at your site. Through work with our quality-improvement tools, EngenderHealth has found that all staff at a facility benefit from periodic orientations to basic clinic services and critical infection-prevention techniques such as handwashing.
• Hang posters. Posters or signs listing the steps and times for handwashing can be hung in breakrooms and other staff areas to help staff become aware of appropriate handwashing practices. If you like, you can print out and hang the two signs provided in this course: When Should You Wash Your Hands? | Steps of Handwashing
• Post reminders. It's a good idea to post a reminder near eating areas and toilets or latrines like the reminder in this course: All Staff Must Wash Hands
• Be a good role model. You can set a good example. Model good handwashing behavior during the course of your day and encourage your staff and colleagues to do the same.

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