Tork helps build champions for safer patient care environments for World Hand Hygiene Day

Tork, a proud participant of the Private Organizations for Patient Safety (POPs), shares trade insights this World Hand Hygiene Day to help healthcare organizations and workers unite for patient safety.

PHILADELPHIA, April 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tork, an Essity brand, calls on healthcare organizations worldwide to establish an Institutional Safety Climate this World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD), encouraging the development of hand hygiene role models and safer patient environments. By sharing innovative tools and best practices, Tork reminds all healthcare professionals to unite for safety by ensuring clean and hygienic hands.

World Hand Hygiene Day, celebrated on May 5, is the annual call to action for healthcare workers led by the World Health Organization (WHO). This year's theme focuses on the fifth component of WHO's Multimodal Strategy for Hand Hygiene Compliance, creating an Institutional Safety Climate, or an organizational environment that prioritizes high compliance with hand hygiene to achieve both patient and healthcare professionals' safety on institutional and individual levels.

Well-trained and motivated healthcare staff are key to creating an institutional safety climate and reducing healthcare associated infections (HAIs). In fact, studies show proper hand hygiene prevents up to 50 per cent of infections acquired during healthcare delivery.¹ Additionally, research commissioned by Tork found that 8 out of 10 healthcare professionals would like to improve their hand hygiene compliance.²

To support these healthcare professionals and enable safer healthcare environments, Tork developed its Clean Hands Training in collaboration with behavioral scientists and world-leading experts in hand hygiene. Tork VR Clean Hands Training invites users into a digital world where they can interact and train on the WHO's own 'my 5 moments of hand hygiene' in a realistic environment. Accessed almost 15,000 times since the end of 2019, Tork Clean Hands Training empowers healthcare professionals to achieve the highest safety standards.

Beyond training alone, healthcare professionals must practice hand hygiene often and effectively to prevent the spread of infection and reduce cross contamination. Tork supports healthcare organizations with skincare made for critical, fast-paced environments, including the Tork Alcohol Hand Sanitizer. Tork also offers evidence-based dispenser placement guides based on WHO's 'my 5 moments of hand hygiene' and built around four areas commonly found in healthcare facilities to support compliance. Research shows that hand hygiene dispensers have a significant impact on compliance rates, and the key to success is making sure they are correctly placed.³

"Proper hand hygiene saves lives, and it's the collective responsibility of everyone within healthcare worldwide to maintain these standards. Fostering a culture of institutional safety within your healthcare organization keeps hand hygiene top of mind," says Thomas Bergin, Marketing Director - Healthcare, Essity Professional Hygiene, "Core to the Tork brand, we offer the products and services that help facilities achieve an institutional safety climate, and we continue to work tirelessly to be a knowledgeable and reliable partner for all healthcare professionals.

Learn more about World Hand Hygiene Day and Tork healthcare solutions at Tork.CA/en/WorldHandHygieneDay.

For more information:
Kaitlyn Ward
Weber Shandwick
[email protected] 

About Tork 
The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissues, soap, napkins and wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they're always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity and a committed partner to customers in over 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit tork.ca.

About Essity 
Essity is a leading global hygiene and health company. We are dedicated to improving well-being through our products and services. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands, such as JOBST, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, Vinda and Zewa. Essity has about 46,000 employees. Net sales in 2021 amounted to approximately $13 billion. The company's headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. In Canada, Essity has employees at its locations in Drummondville, Quebec and Oakville, Ontario.  Essity breaks barriers to well-being and contributes to a healthy, sustainable and circular society. More information at essity.com.

¹ World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day/2021/key-facts-and-figures
² Survey among 1017 healthcare professionals in five markets: United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany and Poland. The survey was conducted between 23 November to 7 December 2018 by United Minds on behalf of Tork and in collaboration with the panel provider CINT
³ Boog, Matthijs C., Vicki Erasmus, Jitske M De Graaf, Elise (A) He Van Beeck, Marijke Melles, and Ed F Van Beeck. Assessing the Optimal Location for Alcohol-based Hand Rub Dispensers in a Patient Room in an Intensive Care Unit. BMC Infect Dis BMC Infectious Diseases 13.1 (2013): 510.

SOURCE Tork, an Essity brand