DebMed® to Arm Nursing Professionals with New Infection-Reducing Hand Hygiene Solutions at the American Organization of Nursing Executives Meeting

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- DebMed^®, creator of the award-winning, world's first electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring system based on the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, will bring its expansive line-up of electronic monitoring hand hygiene solutions to the American Organization of Nursing Executives (AONE) Annual Meeting, March 12-15 in Orlando, Fla. DebMed will introduce its new point-of-care dispenser, the first on the market to electronically monitor hand hygiene activity at the patient bedside at booth 929. The company is also hosting an educational roundtable luncheon on the significance of hand hygiene practices at the Hilton Orlando in the Lake Hart room on March 12 from noon to 1:30 p.m. moderated by Nurse Leaders editor-in-chief, Dr. Roxane Spitzer, PHD, RN, MBA, FAAN.

Electronically-Monitored Hand Hygiene Now at the Point-of-Care
The industry's first and only electronically monitored point-of-care dispenser will be unveiled to AONE attendees for the first time. It provides access to hand sanitizer in the immediate area within the patient zone, enabling healthcare workers to more readily comply with hand hygiene best practices without interrupting their clinical workflow.  Additionally, DebMed will demonstrate its new universal hand hygiene monitoring device that works with any dispenser.

"The nursing community's work on the front lines of patient care necessitates the most advanced options for hand hygiene compliance to keep nurses and their patients safe from healthcare-associated infections," said Heather McLarney, Vice President of Marketing at DebMed. "Offering nurse leaders innovative solutions such as the option to use the soap or sanitizer of their choice, and providing specialized dispensers at the point-of-care has allowed us to best meet their needs."

Reducing HAIs with Proper Hand Hygiene: Roundtable Discussion
Nursing leaders attending AONE are invited to an informational roundtable luncheon featuring experts in hand hygiene as well as a survivor of an HAI. Moderated by Dr. Roxane Spitzer, PHD, RN, MBA, FAAN, editor-in-chief of Nurse Leaders, the panel discussion features the following participants:

• Martha Bouk, RN, BSN, CIC, Infection Preventionist and Shawnna Cunning RN, MSN, PhD, FNP-C, Director of Nursing at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, Ill., about how implementing an electronic monitoring system has improved their hand hygiene compliance rates. The facility is the area's only Magnet^® Recognized hospital, a 2014 recipient of the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™, and has been named a 100 Top Hospital four years in a row.

• Ellen Hargett, RN, Director of Quality & Process Improvement at Georgia's DeKalb Regional Health System, who will discuss her experience as a survivor of a healthcare-associated infection (HAI), and the quality of care that's attainable through hand hygiene compliance.

"We are excited to have such a presence at AONE and be part of the discussion as nursing's elite leaders meet to discuss quality, safety and other pressing issues," said McLarney. "Adherence to proper hand hygiene remains the primary way to prevent infections, and we're proud to share the successes of healthcare institutions across the country, and showcase our expanded solutions that are contributing to better outcomes and significant operational cost savings."

The DebMed GMS, recipient of the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation, is the most comprehensive hand hygiene monitoring solution available. It is the only system to provide access to hand sanitizer at the point-of-patient care, enabling facilities to more readily comply with the WHO Five Moments of Hand Hygiene: before touching the patient, before aseptic procedures, after potential exposure to bodily fluids, after touching the patient, and after touching the patients' surroundings. The WHO guidelines are a higher clinical standard than the common practice of healthcare workers only cleaning hands before and after patient care, which can miss up to 50 percent of hand hygiene opportunities.

HAIs continue to be an ongoing issue for care providers, with one in 20 patients infected and nearly 100,000 deaths each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than one half of all hospital infections, estimated to cost $45 billion annually in the U.S., are preventable.

According to the WHO, the average hand hygiene compliance rate of healthcare workers is only 38.7 perecent. Direct observation forms of hand hygiene monitoring have proven unreliable, so automated monitoring systems are integral to success. DebMed's solution captures 100 percent of hygiene events in real-time, providing a much more accurate and cost-effective alternative to manual direct observation methods. The technology imparts algorithms developed specifically for each hospital to automatically calculate compliance rates, and provides additional educational tools that support behavioral changes for improved compliance and care.

Infection control remains a key issue for nursing leaders. In collaboration with DebMed, healthcare providers are seeking out hand hygiene solutions for safe, efficient care provision.

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), winner of the 2013 Frost & Sullivan Hand Hygiene Solutions New Product Innovation Award, is the world's first group monitoring system to report hand hygiene compliance rates 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 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). For more information, 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 21 companies operating in 16 countries.  For more information, visit www.debgroup.com.

SOURCE DebMed