3M Teams With AORN, IAHCSMM, SIS and Practice Greenhealth to Ignite OneTogether Movement

3M Infection Prevention and founding partners, Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM), the Surgical Infection Society (SIS), and Practice Greenhealth have joined together to form OneTogether: The Power of Small Actions, a multi-year program with the goal of driving individual small actions to collectively generate a significant impact on the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The OneTogether program is designed to amplify individual actions, support collaborative opportunities and engage a network of professionals working toward the same goal.

"While the healthcare community is making progress in reducing the occurrence of HAIs, still nearly 100,000 people will die this year in the United States from preventable HAIs, and one in 20 patients will contract an HAI while hospitalized," says Debra Rectenwald, president and general manager of 3M's Infection Prevention Division. "These statistics are troubling. That's why 3M is forming OneTogether along with our founding partners. We hope other organizations and individuals will join in this important effort."

The OneTogether initiative seeks to empower healthcare professionals to bring sustained behaviors to their organizations and elevate the infection prevention conversation within the broader healthcare community.

"To eliminate HAIs, we need to try a new approach, as well as work across teams to make a difference at every level," says Linda Groah, CEO/executive director of AORN. "OneTogether offers all of us a chance to unite, share what's working and reinforce how every little action we take can have a major impact on patient safety."

OneTogether is built from the E(3) platform detailed in the Educate' Empower' Engage: A Collaborative Interdisciplinary Call to Action for Reducing Surgical Site Infection whitepaper, published in 2012 and based on work done at the fourth annual Infection Prevention Leadership Summit. Based on the E(3) platform, an independent advisory panel of 35 passionate healthcare professionals with a diverse spectrum of medical expertise was established to guide and shape the movement.

"The Central Service Department is an integral and yet often under-leveraged ally in the fight against HAIs," says Susan Adams, executive director of IAHCSMM. "Our membership is passionate about their role in ensuring safe patient care. We welcome the OneTogether initiative as an opportunity to team with a coalition of associations and individuals from many functions to share insights and develop new approaches to HAI reduction."

One approach of the OneTogether effort is to highlight what is working well in healthcare facilities. During AORN's annual meeting, OneTogether is offering "Pay it Forward" cards for healthcare providers to provide real-time recognition to colleagues for the small actions that help keep patients safe from HAIs. The pocket-sized thank-you cards will be available in the 3M booth (#3721) throughout the meeting (March 4-7), along with more information on the OneTogether movement.

Healthcare providers can get more information about OneTogether by visiting www.joinonetogether.org and are encouraged to join the OneTogether LinkedIn community.