Popped back to my suite for a quick breather, before heading back for a reception this evening being held by Ecolab at the Albert Docks, focussed especially on Hand Hygiene Compliance Education. Should be an interesting event, and another great way of meeting other Hand Hygiene enthusiasts….will add a brief blog post later.
So far the conference has exceeded expectations, both in terms of presentations and the Exhibition – the latter of which I managed to get lost in. Twice. Professor Judith Tanner delivered the EM Cottrell Lecture ‘Think, Plan, Do’, with enthusiasm, humour and passion, and her aim to motivate the audience on their journey towards improving Patient Care was surely a resounding success.
A brilliant session designed especially for those new to Infection Control and Prevention included an ‘ice-breaker’, a phrase which usually strikes fear right to my heart, but which proved to be an excellent way to meet lots of other individuals ‘new’ to the field – and discuss a range of topics that we all may face going forwards. I met with people from industry and NHS trusts, and from international companies, all of which helped me feel less of an ‘imposter’ in my ‘PhD Student’ status. Everyone was incredibly warm and positive towards my work, and I’ve been exchanging details left, right and centre. IPS encourages networking as a form of support for all its members, and it was wonderful that this session helped lay the foundations for many potential developments going forwards; not just for me, but right around the room you could hear people finding others who were sharing the same problems, and then swapping ideas for solutions. Excellent.
I’ve spent quite a lot of time going round the exhibition, trying to visit all the stands relating to Hand Hygiene – not sure I’ve achieved that goal yet, but fortunately there is still tomorrow. I have a bag full of brochures, business cards and hand gel now…and some stickers for my young consultant. He may be too young for conferences, but he must always be considered part of the research team.
Some key Hand Hygiene technology stands I’ve visited today include an innovative ‘gel-in-the-door-handle’ system, two auditing systems based on the 5 Moments – 1 which monitors gel usage and the other which allows context to be added to direct observation – and an electronic badge system which gives direct feedback via visual lights. I’ll add more about these when I’ve more time – but it has been great to talk to people about their innovations, to discuss their views on what is important, and how they see the future in light of acknowledged limitations. It’s fair to say no-one is yet claiming to have a silver bullet (or at least, they haven’t claimed it in earshot of me….) to the problem of Hand Hygiene Auditing, but I’ve definitely got a lot to think about this afternoon, and no doubt this evening will give me even more…..
[...] Research I tended to attend sessions focused around these – although the session aimed at those new to Infection Control was a lovely way to start the Conference experience, really helped me feel less alienated as a [...]