POPS for hand hygiene activity summaries
2024
Introduction
By engaging with private companies, the long-term aim of the Private Organizations for Patient Safety Hand Hygiene (POPS HH) Initiative is to harness industry strengths in their work with health care providers to align and improve implementation of WHO hand hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC) recommendations globally, especially in, but not limited to, low- and middle-income countries. The expected public health benefit from WHO and industry working together is a reduction in health care-associated infections/harm, achieved through improvements in hand hygiene and IPC practices, based on WHO recommendations.
A range of companies have participated in POPS since its inception, and 2024 saw a review and some reflection on a forward strategy for this important initiative. See the WHO POPS web pages for further details of the POPS initiative.
Meetings
Throughout 2024, five virtual meetings were held with POPS HH members, in particular to gather input for the development of the 2024 and 2025 World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) campaigns.
Three joint meetings were also held with the Global IPC Network (GIPCN) – during 2024. Those meetings focused on WHO IPC Unit updates, WHHD, as well as potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of IPC. Meeting notes are available here.
Meetings were chaired by Benedetta Allegranzi, Technical Lead for the IPC Unit at WHO headquarters, and were attended by the unit’s staff as well as Rudi Eggers, Director, Integrated Health Services department, and Didier Pittet from Geneva’s University Hospital (also a WHO collaborating centre for IPC and AMR).
Additional information-sharing and activities
An example of specific information-sharing in 2024 included World Hand Hygiene Day modifiable posters, with the POPS emblem on them, shared directly with all POPS companies. It was noted that these posters have for many years formed an integral part of POPS dissemination strategies in many health care facilities, in many countries, in support of World Hand Hygiene Day.
Additional communications in 2024 included: 8 March – all World Hand Hygiene Day assets shared directly with POPS companies; 24 April – World Hand Hygiene Day status update and invite to WHO webinars; 10 May – a thank you email regarding support for World Hand Hygiene Day.
Additional activities in 2024 included the dedicated POPS web page being updated, POPS’ role in World Hand Hygiene Day featured in a campaign summary evaluation report, translation of World Hand Hygiene Day posters by POPS companies into languages other than the six official UN languages, and facilitation of ethanol in alcohol-based handrub discussions (being led by the WHO Regional Office for Europe).