DebMed® Alerts Hospital Patients to the Danger of the Flu and How to Stay Healthy

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The dreaded flu season is imminent and that means an increase in emergency visits and hospital admissions. While the United States usually sees a peak in the seasonal flu in January and February, outbreaks can occur as early as October according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. DebMed^®, creator of the world's first electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring system based on the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, wants to keep hospital patients and visitors, as well as physicians and clinical staff, safe with needed information about proper hand hygiene.

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"Each year the advice is always given to wash hands to prevent the spread of flu, but people need to know not only how, but when they and their doctors should be cleaning their hands," said Heather McLarney, vice president of marketing, DebMed. "This flu season we are urging everyone to not only know and follow the steps for appropriate hand washing, but to also have the knowledge and be empowered to assure that doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are cleaning their hands appropriately. Together we can all ensure that recommended hand washing is the first line of defense against a possible flu epidemic."

McLarney stresses that proper hand hygiene is imperative, but not always done correctly to best reduce contamination. If everyone more readily complies with the WHO Five Moments of Hand Hygiene, it will help combat spreading germs this flu season. The "Five Moments" as described by the WHO are before patient contact, before aseptic task, after body fluid exposure risk, after patient contact and after contact with patient surroundings. The DebMed GMS (Group Monitoring System) is the only available system that electronically monitors healthcare workers' hand hygiene events in accordance with the WHO Five Moments for Hand Hygiene and provides feedback on compliance rates in real-time.

As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best way to prepare for flu season is to receive a yearly flu vaccine as the first step in protecting yourself. Aside from the vaccine, proper hand washing is essential, according to the CDC. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol to clean your hands.

What is the right way to wash your hands?

• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold) and apply soap
• Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails
• Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice
• Rinse your hands well under running water
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them

"Patients and hospital visitors should be empowered with knowledge on how to prevent getting sick with the flu, and that can start with the simple act of cleaning your hands," continued McLarney. "Be aware of hand cleaning stations in the facility that you can easily access and don't be afraid to ask hospital staff if they have washed their hands."

Hospital patients and visitors can also ask the facility if they follow the WHO's Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, which includes instances at which staff should clean their hands. Adhering to the Five Moments rather than the industry standard of only cleaning hands when going "in and out" of patient rooms can greatly reduce the possibility of spreading infections, according to DebMed.

For more information on how to stay healthy this flu season, visit: CleanHandsForHealth.com

About DebMed®
DebMed is the healthcare program of the Deb Group.  The DebMed program offers innovative hand hygiene products, electronic monitoring technology, and improvement tools to support hand hygiene compliance.  The DebMed® GMS™ (Group Monitoring System) is the world's first group monitoring system to report hand hygiene compliance rates in real-time based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) "Five Moments for Hand Hygiene" and to date has recorded more than 35 million hand hygiene events.  The electronic monitoring system is being utilized in a four year, multi-site research project being conducted by the Columbia University School of Nursing and funded by a $1.2 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  It is the first study aimed at reducing healthcare-associated infections in pediatric long-term care facilities by improving staff compliance with hand hygiene guidelines.  Deb is the first hand hygiene company in the world to provide actionable information along with its hand hygiene products to help drive best practices and improved outcomes for patients worldwide.

For more information on the study or DebMed, visit www.debmed.com.

About Deb Group
Possessing international scale and strong local market presence, Deb Group provides innovative skin care programs for all types of workplace and public environments, spanning industrial, commercial, healthcare and food sectors.  Headquartered in the United Kingdom with US operations based in Charlotte, NC, Deb Group is comprised of 22 companies operating in 18 countries.  For more information, visit www.debgroup.com.

For media inquiries, contact: Kate Ottavio, 203-504-8230 x135, [email protected]

SOURCE DebMed