Nurses' education: a creative competition on hand hygiene in Albania

Content: Background Hand hygiene (HH) is a pillar of patient safety and has to be a key element of nurses’ education. Students’ active learning should be the preferred way to teach HH indications and technique in nursing procedures. To celebrate the 10th Italian anniversary of World Health Organization (WHO) campaign “Clean Care is Safer Care”, a network of Italian universities launched a creative competition on HH among all healthcare students. ”Our Lady of Good Counsel” (OLGC) Catholic University in Albania in partnership with Tor Vergata University in Rome -Italy-, also participated in this competition. Methods Students could participate as individuals or in groups; they were invited to create by May 5th (WHO HH day) their products such as presentations, posters, videos, brochures, screensavers, flash mobs. Criteria defined by the steering committee to evaluate students’ works were: scientific accuracy, creativity, technical quality, usefulness for campaigning. In every university the best product was rewarded during a public ceremony in May 2016. Results At OLGC University, 38 bachelor nursing students, divided in two groups, made two videos on HH. The work that gained the prize, “Albanian dance of hand hygiene”, was presented in a convention open to all healthcare students in Tirana. This video described HH procedure steps through a group dance accompanied by an Albanian music; the result was an interesting mix of technical content and effective communication based on elements of Albanian tradition. These features made it an excellent means of HH promotion, above all in the Albanian healthcare context. Conclusions Considering the high relevance of HH issues in Albania, the OLGC University will extend education for all healthcare professionals and the participation in this competition in the future to foster a culture of care based on safety and excellence.