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Kimberly-Clark introduces patient education programme for HAI prevention

Following research which revealed that 56% of respondents were not very familiar or not at all familiar with Healthcare-Associated Infections and their causes, Kimberly-Clark has this week announced a new programme to educate patients about HAI's and steps they can take to aid in their prevention.

The goal of the Kimberly-Clark HAI Patient Education Programme, launched at the American Nurses Credentialing Center National Magnet Conference, is to empower patients, families and visitors through awareness and education, to join with their medical professionals to prevent HAIs.

In addition, the programme is designed to engage more patients in HAI prevention by increasing awareness of the problem, helping patients put into context the hospital HAI data that is becoming increasingly accessible to the public and providing guidance on prevention strategies.

The programme is based in-part on survey data collected by Infogroup/Opinion Research Corporation, which examined perceptions of more than 1,000 participants from a variety of perspectives. Key findings include:

* General lack of awareness: 56% of respondents are not very familiar or not at all familiar with HAIs. And, when asked to select the contributors to HAIs, fewer than 1% were able to distinguish accurately between those that do and those that do not contribute to HAIs

* Key decisions made based on HAI rates: 69% say they would not consider using a hospital with a higher HAI rate even if it is their physician's choice; 56% say that they would not consider using a hospital with a higher HAI rate even if it is the most reputable one for their need

* Staff education is critical: Respondents consider certified hospital programmes, such as Magnet, that ensure staff follow best practices for hand hygiene, as the most important factor when choosing a hospital

"We are pleased to announce this new programme at the ANCC National Magnet Conference. We believe we share in the responsibility to not only provide educational resources to the hospitals we serve but also to make resources available and accessible to the patients they serve," says Joanne Bauer, President of Kimberly-Clark Health Care. "HAIs are no longer just a healthcare problem and greater opportunities for education and awareness can only lend additional support to the collective goal of impacting what has become a leading cause of death in our country."

Kimberly-Clark's HAI Patient Education Programme aims to improve overall awareness and arm patients, family members and visitors with prevention techniques to help reduce the prevalence and severity of HAIs. Through a variety of offerings, Kimberly-Clark will provide education directly for patients and their families through a dedicated patient education website, toolkit and support of community events. In addition, Kimberly-Clark will provide resources and training to hospitals and other organisations that wish to conduct their own training.

The program is based in part on the Company's eight-year-old Knowledge Network clinical education programme, which has educated more than 100,000 professionals to-date. The programme begins this month and will extend through December 2013, at which time the company will conduct a follow-up survey to evaluate potential awareness improvements.

www.kchealthcare.com / www.nursecredentialing.org

13th October 2011