Provoking "Eureka" moments for effective infection control strategies
This article of Prof. Pittet was published in 2014 in the second issue of the "World Hospitals and Health Services" Journal. Read what Prof. Pittet says about the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge and the Hand Hygiene Excellence Award.
Safety is now a fundamental principle of patient care and a critical component of quality management. Healthcare-associated infection prevention strategies need to be constantly revisited and updated to be effective. The “Genevahand hygiene model” is a typical example of a breakthrough innovatory campaign that caught fire and went viralworldwide, thanks to its adoption by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the First Global Patient Safety Challenge.The campaign remains an inspiration for further innovation. To encourage new and disruptive technologies with thepotential to improve patient safety through the successful implementation of the WHO multimodal strategy, the Universityof Geneva Hospitals/WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, together with the Aesculap Academy, have created aseries of “Hand Hygiene Excellence Awards” and “Hand Hygiene Innovation Awards” worldwide.
