The Tork VR Clean Hands Training app has won a 2020 Interclean Innovation Award for being ‘user-friendly, accessible and capable of stimulating behavioural change in a fun and engaging way’.
The interactive hand hygiene training simulation has also been described by the judges as ‘the perfect solution for the need to educate people worldwide on hand hygiene’.
Winners of the prestigious Interclean Innovation Awards were announced on 12 May; the Tork VR Clean Hands Training app was Category Winner for Related Products/Services.
Tork VR Clean Hands Training and Education uses virtual reality to provide healthcare staff with realistic scenarios where hand hygiene needs to be carried out. Essity believes itself to be one of the first companies ever to use VR in a hand hygiene training simulation.
The tool was developed in collaboration with behavioural scientists, university hospitals and global hand hygiene experts.
Jenny Logenius, Global Brand Innovation Manager, Skincare Healthcare for Tork at Essity, said: “This innovative solution for hand hygiene training would not have been possible without the close collaboration with both healthcare professionals and world-leading experts in hand hygiene and behavioural science. Together we have created an unexpected but engaging way to help healthcare professionals improve hand hygiene and reduce the risk of Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the world.”
The Interclean Innovation Award judging panel said they were highly impressed by the user-friendly method of maintaining hand hygiene compliance in healthcare settings that the VR tool provides.
A panel spokesperson commented: “The accessibility of ensuring ongoing training on-site in order to improve standards is a true innovation. The Virtual Reality approach is essential to stimulate behavioural change in a fun and engaging way. It is the perfect solution for the well-recognised need to educate people worldwide on hand hygiene.”
A recent Tork study revealed that 80% of healthcare professionals claimed they would like to improve their hand hygiene compliance – but they often found traditional forms of hand hygiene training to be uninspiring. The Tork VR Clean Hands tool moves training into the virtual world, making it more immediate and interactive.
Tork VR Clean Hands Training and Education is free to download via the App Store and Google Play. Participants need a compatible smartphone and VR headset with remote control or equivalent.
