Better hand hygiene in Germany and the Netherlands

New results from AniCura’s study on hand hygiene show that veterinary clinics in Germany and the Netherlands have improved their hand hygiene as they joined AniCura’s quality program. Proper hand hygiene is the single most important measure to prevent infections and the spread of resistant bacteria in healthcare.

For the fourth year in a row, AniCura completed a study about hand hygiene in European veterinary care. This year, 120 veterinary clinics from eight countries participated in the study that measured the daily use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser. On average, 6.7 ml of alcohol-based hand sanitiser was used per patient and day. Significant improvements were achieved in Germany and the Netherlands where the use of hand sanitiser increased with several milliliters per patient and day compared to previous years.

- I am particularly pleased to see that clinics who recently joined AniCura have taken advantage of our quality program, learned from other clinics and consequently improved their hand hygiene significantly, says Ulrika Grönlund, Group Medical Quality Manager at AniCura.

Resistant bacteria stresses importance of hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is the single most important measure to prevent infections in healthcare. Proper hand hygiene prevents spread of infectious agents between staff, staff and patients and between patients. Use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser during and between all patient visits is the only effective way to minimize these transmission routes.

- Hand hygiene has never been more important than now, as resistant bacteria are spreading rapidly across the world. To us, it is about ensuring that both our patients and employees are safe. Veterinary professionals constitute a risk category as we are exposed to resistant bacteria at work and may spread these bacteria at home, concludes Ulrika Grönlund.

AniCura’s study on hand hygiene study was performed in April as part of AniCura’s quality program. Measuring the consumption of alcohol-based hand sanitiser is an important way of assessing infection control in healthcare. The study also found that clinics on average had 1.1 sanitiser dispenser per patient room.

Advice to veterinary professionals

• Make sure to have documented routines for infection control and hand hygiene at the clinic

• Have one person at the clinic appointed to coordinate the in-clinic infection control work

• Ensure dispensers with alcohol-based hand sanitizer are accessible for all employees

• Disinfect hands before and after contact with each patient, and before putting gloves on and after taking them off

• Always use disinfection when moving from a patient to the surrounding environment to prevent contamination of for example keyboards, cupboards, drawers and equipment

For further information, please contact
Maria Tullberg, Group Communications Manager AniCura, +46 736 268 886

About AniCura

AniCura is a family of well-known animal hospitals and clinics specialised in veterinary care for companion animals. Born out of the idea that sharing resources creates opportunities for better veterinary care, the company was established in 2011 as the first merger of companion animal hospitals in the Nordic region. Today, AniCura is a role model within specialised veterinary care and a valued partner for pet owners and referring veterinarians across Europe.

AniCura offers a wide range of high-quality medical services covering preventive and basic health care as well as advanced diagnostics, internal medicine, intensive care, surgery and orthopaedics. AniCura also provides rehabilitation, physiotherapy and dietary advice and offers selected pet food and care products.

AniCura provides modern, high-quality veterinary care for pets at 270 European locations and creates peace of mind for pet owners through excellent access and patient safety. Every year, AniCura’s 5,500 passionate veterinary professionals attend to more than 2.5 million companion animal patients. AniCura is a trusted training and referral body.

Since 2018, AniCura is part of Mars Petcare, a family-owned company focused on veterinary care and pet nutrition.

For information on how AniCura is working to shape the future of veterinary care, please visit our website www.anicuragroup.com

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