A cutting-edge piece of equipment, costing almost £20,000, has arrived at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in a bid to enhance hand hygiene training across staff.
The computer on wheels, called SureWash Elite, uses augmented reality to assess hand hygiene techniques and infection control knowledge as well as provide interactive training and quizzes.
SureWash aims to make hand hygiene training and compliance much less labour intensive by combining an e-learning system, which is CPD accredited, with augmented reality technology.
Anna Morris, Infection Prevention and Control Nurse, said: “The last 18 months have highlighted that hand hygiene is more important than ever and it’s vital to ensure that all our staff, clinical and non-clinical are trained in correct and effective hand hygiene techniques.
“As well as coronavirus, it’s also important we keep other hospital infection rates, like MRSA and C. difficile, as low as possible.
“The SureWash machine makes it easier for staff to complete hand hygiene competencies as there’s not the need for soap and water – the machine will watch staff perform hand hygiene and scores based on technique.”
A live video camera is used to measure hand motions and provides real-time feedback on their progress to ensure compliance in hand hygiene technique.
There is also a customisable quiz function, allowing short learning sessions to be carried out to assess the standard of knowledge among staff on specific topics.
As a result, gaps in knowledge can then be identified, helping staff to be prepared for outbreak situations.
Hayley Gingell, Interim Infection Prevention and Control & Tissue Viability Governance Lead, said: “The beauty of the SureWash Elite machine is it’s portable – we can take it wherever we need to train staff. We don’t need a sink to teach the correct procedures as the camera is able to capture all the hand movements.
“We’ve noticed that staff come forward and want to have a go with this machine – it’s definitely making hand hygiene more fun across the Trust.”
Dr Ruth Longfellow, Chief Medical Officer and Consultant Anaesthetist, was one of the first members of staff to try out the equipment.
She said: “Proper hand hygiene is the first and most effective line of defence when it comes to infection control. Infection rates at RJAH are already extremely low but we know we cannot be complacent.
“Our staff are extremely dedicated, because of this we have an incredibly low infection rate and with high-quality training, we can keep it that way.”
Photo caption: Dr Ruth Longfellow, Chief Medical Officer and Consultant Anaesthetist, trying out the new SureWash machine alongside Hayley Gingell (left), Interim Infection Prevention and Control & Tissue Viability Governance Lead, and Anna Morris (right), Infection Prevention and Control Nurse.
