Throwback Thursday: Growth Itself Contains the Germ of Happiness

For transplant patients, whether a donor or recipient, handwashing could be the easiest way reduce a potentially serious surgical site infection.  Hand transmission is a critical factor in the spread of germs like bacteria or viruses that can cause infection or disease.

This is especially true for organ transplant recipients who are at an increased risk for developing infection after their transplant surgery.

Growing Leaps and Bounds

Infection control procedures are taken very seriously in clinical settings today – from diagnosis of a patient, to surgery, to post-op care; however, this wasn’t always the case.

While the need for proper handwashing was recognized in the early 1960s by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (formerly the Communicable Disease Center), widespread knowledge of the process was limited. Still, attempts existed.

Wellbee, the “health educator’s friend” was created in 1962 as a public health symbol to be utilized by state and local public health agencies. This was one of the first public attempts to spread awareness of the importance of hand-hygiene in the clinical setting.

Since that time, hand-hygiene has been established as a best practice in the clinical setting, and in 1980 the first national hand-hygiene guidelines were published.

Today, guidelines exist from federal agencies like the World Health Organization and hospitals are graded by a number of organizations on their patient safety measures like hand hygiene.

Now We Join in Celebration

As we celebrate 50 years of providing excellence in transplantation, breakthrough treatments and compassionate coordination of care to the region, we invite you to join us in a 50-day countdown to the anniversary of the first surgery that launched Cincinnati’s most comprehensive transplant program.

Celebrate with us by sharing our stories of transplantation with your social media network using #UCHealthTransplant via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

For more information about UC Health transplant services, please visit uchealth.com/transplant.