Maintaining hygiene standards is the most effective way to combat against the infectious diseases, as they can be transmitted through contacting the surfaces that viruses are available. Hand hygiene is therefore particularly crucial to prevent any possible contract transmission of infectious viruses. Maintaining high hygiene standards is also a necessity to protect the health professionals, allied health workers and support staff from contracting any infectious viruses at their work environment (ibid). In this context, it’s extremely important to follow the hygiene guidelines to protect everyone, especially health staff in care facilities. The main goal of the HYGEIA project is to provide updated, reliable and easily-accessible vocational education and training (VET) on personal and environment hygiene at workplace for healthcare workforce in care settings. We will develop an innovative VET package for health professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses), allied health workers (e.g., physiotherapists, occupational therapists) and support staff (e.g., nurse assistants, ward clerks). All professionals working in a hospital, community and residential care settings must comply with and guarantee high standards of hygiene, for the safety of patients, workers and visitors. This is tremendously an urgent need in contemporary healthcare systems and societies, as emerged from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic around the world. The HYGEIA project will produce three specific outputs: - NEEDS ANALYSIS: a questionnaire will be developed and disseminated in all countries of the consortium amongst healthcare workforce (for collecting their learning needs and understanding the best digital training options and preferences) and managers of healthcare facilities (for understanding current organisational policies and collecting good practices). A final report will be produced with (quantitative and qualitative) data analysis. - EDUCATIONAL MANUAL FOR PERSONAL AND ENVIRONMENT HYGIENE: the manual will target all health, allied health and administrative workforce employed in different care settings. It will include recommendations for daily working life on how to comply with common and context-specific rules of personal and environment hygiene. Contents will be differentiated according to type of professions (health, allied health, and support personnel). - E-LEARNING MULTIMEDIA COURSE: a mobile application will enable healthcare workers to learn systematically about hygiene, its importance and consequences, how to maintain it together with other people the disease, good practices and tips for addressing most common problems in each care setting (hospital, community and residential care). It will include a serious game for learning by a gamification approach. The HYGEIA project will play a crucial role in improving awareness, attitudes, practices and access to training for all healthcare workers, even those with non-clinical backgrounds who still work in the same environment and experience a huge interaction with other people.
Through HYGEIA, our goal was to contribute in healthcare education and practice. We aimed to empower healthcare professionals with comprehensive knowledge and practical skills in personal and environmental hygiene. The E-LEARNING MULTIMEDIA COURSE provided a standardized and accessible platform for systematic hygiene education. The EDUCATIONAL MANUAL tailored recommendations for diverse healthcare roles, fostering compliance with hygiene standards in daily routines. The NEEDS ANALYSIS ensured data-driven insights, understanding unique learning needs and effective training methods. By analyzing this data, we aimed to inform evidence-based strategies. Ultimately, we aimed to create a safer healthcare environment by enhancing awareness and skills, fostering consistent, evidence-based hygiene practices. Our vision was a healthcare landscape where hygiene became a fundamental ethos, ensuring the safety and well-being of both healthcare providers and patients.
We applied for the HYGEIA project to address critical gaps in healthcare workforce education, in the period immediately following the Covid outbreak. Our goal was to enhance VET for healthcare professionals, focusing on personal and environmental hygiene. The need arose from a lack of systematic training on hygiene, its importance, and maintenance methods in diverse care settings. Healthcare workers lacked access to standardized learning resources, leading to inconsistent practices. Additionally, there was a gap in understanding common and context-specific hygiene rules, affecting both staff and patient safety. By participating in HYGEIA, we aimed to bridge these knowledge disparities, ensuring a safer healthcare environment for all. The project's pillars – E-LEARNING MULTIMEDIA COURSE, EDUCATIONAL MANUAL, and NEEDS ANALYSIS – were designed to cater to these pressing needs, promoting consistent hygiene practices and improving overall healthcare quality.