Hand hygiene promotion gets creative with Emily Carr
Visitors to the Jim Pattison Pavilion at VGH are greeted by a large-screen TV, connected via a Macintosh to a Microsan hand sanitizing station. The set up displays how many people have used the hand sanitizer during the day, and then re-sets at night. On an average day, up to 300 patients, visitors and staff use the sanitizer.
The TV display is part of a regional campaign directed at public and employees that includes large graphics on elevator doors and blue stop sign sanitizer stations. While the TV display is being piloted only at VGH at the moment, the signage and elevator “wraps” are also in place at the Lions Gate and Richmond hospitals.
This creative use of technology to reduce the spread of infections came about through a collaboration between VCH and an Emily Carr University design class. Students were asked help promote and encourage hand hygiene in public areas of VCH facilities. Funding for the project was provided by a donation to the VGH & UBC Hospitals Foundation.
With the help of the student designers the Hand Hygiene program installed messaging on high traffic entrance and exit doors and updated the stop sign mobile Microsan stands.
The elevator wraps at the three VCH hospitals read: “Going Up? Leave Germs Behind – Clean hands are important on every floor” and “Don’t Let Germs Take You Down – Clean your hands when you visit other floors”
These posters are also part of the collaboration with the Emily Carr students.
- Please Clean Your Hands so we don’t need all these posters [PDF]
- Help Protect Our Patients dirty hand spread disease [PDF]
New stop signs and elevator graphics are in place at Vancouver, Richmond and Lions Gate hospitals.