NATIONAL INFECTION CONTROL WEEK
Activities
This is the time to get carried away and have fun! Activities contribute to the success of your event by promoting your Mission Statement, involving a wide variety of people and inviting participation, resulting in increased learning.
Activities support and enhance the educational components of the event, they should not be the total program. However, if time is limited and resources are scarce, a few activities will generate some interest and enthusiasm for your cause without requiring intensive planning and preparation. Be flexible!
Suggestions for activities:
- Poster contest - for staff, students, patients; display posters in prominent areas; have a panel to judge; display winning entries in a main area and publish winners names in your facility newsletter or newspaper; have an award ceremony
- Slogan contest - hold the contest before the event; circulate the Mission Statement with the announcement of the contest; the winning slogan could become the major theme
- "Trivial Pursuit" game - use pertinent Infection Control questions in a questionnaire or card game; game can be played individually or in groups; develop a score sheet and award small prizes
- Questionnaire/Q&A Cards - have questions relating to practices, policies and procedures completed by individuals who stop by your display, and award prizes to those who answer all the questions correctly. This is a good way to check the level of knowledge and pinpoint trouble areas. Or leave cards in coffee rooms and lounges.
- Colouring contest for Pediatrics - design and photocopy a picture for children to colour; display pictures and have them judged; award prizes to winner and participants
- Skits - consider a theatre interlude with groups of staff scripting and performing a short skit or singing an Infection Control song. How about an isolation garb fashion show?
- Theme character - dress up as a humorous "bug" and visit the ward areas and departments (e.g. "Gertie Grunge", "Infector Inspector"). This is particularly good for Paediatric areas.
- Test your handwashing skills - have participants check how well they have washed their hands using "glow in the dark" powders and solutions, available from various companies. Or have them don gloves and then wash with coloured finger-paint, to see where they have missed.
- Handwashing cards - have staff carry handwashing cards to mark each time they wash their hands during a shift. Put cards in a box for a draw. This raises awareness of how many times hands should be washed in a day.
- Hands that Care - take photographs of the hands and faces of various prominent individuals in your facility, then paste them onto a poster. Have people try to match the hands with the faces, with a prize to the winner.
- Exhibitors - contact your local supply representatives, they might be interested in setting up display booths, and are great sources for giveaway items, buttons etc. Tours - arrange a tour of your department, laboratories, etc.; set up displays and demonstrations. Don't forget refreshments!
- Poems - put an Infection Control poem in your facility newsletter or paper or hold a contest to create a poem
- Puzzles & Word Games - put an Infection Control puzzle or word game in your facility newsletter or paper or provide puzzles to solve for a prize
- Nutrition breaks - refreshments are a drawing card and provide an opportunity for participants to meet and exchange information; consider scheduling them before, during or after educational presentations, during activities, or during a tour of your department
- Movie Fest - have 15-20 minute films related to infection control running all day or during breaks and mealtimes. Be sure to offer treats (e.g. popcorn).
- Demonstrations - arrange demos on specific techniques such as isolation, gowning, masking and handwashing. Or set up a mock isolation room and critique staff as they go in and perform a "procedure" on a dummy patient, with a prize for the person with the fewest errors in technique.
- Prizes, prizes prizes... - be prepared to give away doorprizes, prizes for contests, prizes for participation etc. Great giveaways are hand creams, hand sanitizers, pens, etc.
