Fight Infections with Hand Hygiene Infections are a major problem in long-term care facilities, with an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 infections per resident occurring annually. These infections account for up to half of all nursing home resident transfers to hospitals.1 Infectious organisms can be transmitted either through direct contact (e.g., skin to skin) or indirect contact (for example, through air, water or inanimate objects).1 One of the easiest and most effective ways to halt infections is through proper hand hygiene.

Depending on the situation, hand hygiene can include either washing the hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. According to the CDC, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are appropriate for use when hands are not visibly soiled and before having direct contact with residents.2 In addition to establishing hand hygiene policies and procedures for your employees, you might also want to consider placing hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas of your facility, where interaction among staff, residents, family members and guests can increase the likelihood of germ transmission. Hand sanitizers are also now available in convenient touch-free dispensers, which can be mounted on stands and placed throughout the building. Touch-free dispensers have been shown to increase hand hygiene compliance by 20.8 percent.3 Your ProMed territory manager is ready to talk to you about creating a comprehensive hand hygiene program! Give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at www.promedsupply.com. Reference 1 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Facilities (Rev. 70, 01-07-11). Available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/ som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed August 16, 2012. 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings: Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. MMWR. 2002;51(RR-16). 3 Larson EL, Albrecht S, O'Keefe M. Hand hygiene behavior in a pediatric emergency department and a pediatric intensive care unit: comparison of use of 2 dispenser systems. Am J Crit Care. 2005 Jul;14:304-11; quiz 312.

Labor Day Closure Notice Professional Medical will be closed on Monday, September 3 in honor of Labor Day. All Monday deliveries will be made on Tuesday, September 4. Customers who typically order on Monday for Tuesday delivery will need to place their orders by Friday, August 31. Please call our Customer Care department at (800) 648-5190 with any questions or concerns.

Join Us for This Thursday's Tour of The Perfect Survey! There's still time to join us for this Thursday's online tour of Compliance Solutions: For the Perfect Survey Every Day! Our webinar will walk you through all of the features of our exclusive online survey preparation tool, including: The actual forms that surveyors use Guidance broken down by F tag and care area Exclusive tips from industry veterans Case studies to address how you would handle specific challenges in your own facility An interactive community in which you can trade suggestions and solutions with other industry experts

Fresh content that is added to the site on a monthly basis, including new challenge scenarios, videos and featured survey tips! To register for our August 23 webinar, which will be held from 8 a.m.-9 a.m. CST, simply click on the link above.

Now it's easy to place Purell®, America's #1 instant hand sanitizer, wherever it's needed. This free-standing unit offers the combination of a Purell TFX™ or LTX 12 TouchFree Dispenser and a sturdy, moveable stand for use in high-traffic locations. Through December 31, you can purchase the Purell floor stand for just $59.95! As an added bonus, when you install 25 LTX dispensers at your facility, we’ll give you a stand for free!

Product pricing is only visible to registered promedsupply.com customers. If you are not yet registered, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 and our Customer Care Professionals will be happy to get you set up.