National Hand Hygiene Auditor Training - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes you can audit in single rooms, it may take a little longer than multi-bed rooms, but is certainly possible.  You must ensure you position yourself to be able to see all movement into and out of that room, the hand hygiene products and the care being given to the patient.

No.

If you require other people in your hospital/health service to be able to train other auditors then they should also attend a GSA workshop.  This ensures the quality of data submitted for the NHHI. 

The Commission is consulting with states and territories and the private health sector regarding future options for GSA training from 2020. Prior to November 2019, GSAs were validated during specific workshops organised by Hand Hygiene Australia.

The Commission has obtained the historical waiting list maintained by Hand Hygiene Australia until November 2019. Additions to the waiting list can be submitted by completing the form on our Contact Us page.

Information regarding future GSA training options will be provided by the Commission in 2020.

No. The Commission encourages facilities to rotate the wards completing the national audits so that every HCW in a healthcare facility learns about the importance of the program.

A Hospital is expected to collect data on all 'eligible' departments a minimum of once per year.

Please see the Guidelines for data submission - Hospitals for further information.

Once you have attended a gold standard auditor workshop and passed the required assessments, you can train others to become General Auditors.  The resources required for your training program are available in the Learning Management System. Click on Help/Documents in the top right corner, and scroll down the new window showing Domain Documents.

The mandatory training requirements must be met for all new auditor training, in addition to registering the new auditors with the NHHI.

Each auditor has a requirement to collect 100 moments each year as a part of the auditor validation requirements.

Your hand hygiene lead should communicate clearly with each auditor the expected number of moments to audit, per person or per area.

Each organisation needs to submit data to the NHHI three times a year. The number of Moments for each audit depends on the type and size of your facility.

Please see the guidelines for data submission and navigate to your facility type for specific information.

Please note: Collecting and submitting additional moments is permitted, however it is strongly encouraged that a review of existing data and targeted implementation of improvement strategies is undertaken BEFORE collection of additional data.

Please see the relevant instructions HERE (after 1 November 2019)

No, there is no limit.  However, full training can take a significant amount of time so choose the most relevant people first. 

Each trained auditor is required to remain current and valid in order to submit data to the NHHI. Part of this requirement is to collect 100 moments per auditor each year. You will need to take this into consideration when planning the number of auditors to be trained.

See Auditor Validation Requirements for further information.

Please note: There is an expectation that all auditors will meet with the hand hygiene lead each audit period (minimum annually) to discuss the hand hygiene program.

Each jurisdiction is responsible for the sustainability of the program in their state.

Yes.  You can train other auditors, but we would advise that you practice with the 5 Moments, the audit tool, HHCApp (the database) and the clinical scenarios in your hospital before you attempt to train others. 

You need to be very familiar and confident with the 5 Moments program before you teach others.

In order to train general auditors you are required to follow the NHHI mandatory sessions for training.

Please review the annual auditor validation document and follow the steps for the 'lapsed auditor pathway'.

If you are trained to assist in an emergency situation, put your auditing equipment away and assist.  If you are not trained to assist, step aside and leave your auditing for another time, or move to another area to audit.  Patient safety always comes first.

A Hospital is expected to collect data on all 'eligible' departments a minimum of once per year.

Please see the Guidelines for data submission - Hospitals for further information.

Non-hospitals are expected to collect data on all distinct areas where staff provide care to patients a minimum of once per year.

The hand hygiene auditor role differs between organisations, depending on the experience and knowledge of the individual auditor. However, the Commission strongly recommends that auditors do not just audit, but are an integral part of the hand hygiene team. Suggested roles for an "auditor" are:

• Auditing
• Education
• Promotion

Assist with data review and planning of improvement strategies based on audit results.

It is recommended that most healthcare organisations have one gold standard auditor.

No. Not every auditor needs to attend gold auditor training.

There should be at least one gold standard auditor at most healthcare organisations. This person would generally be the lead for the hand hygiene program, and has the capacity to provide general auditor training to others. 

The Commission is consulting with states and territories and the private health sector regarding future options for GSA training. Prior to November 2019, GSAs were validated during specific workshops organised by Hand Hygiene Australia.

Information regarding future GSA training options will be provided by the Commission in 2022.

The Commission is consulting with states and territories and the private health sector regarding future options for GSA training. Prior to November 2019, GSAs were validated during specific workshops organised by Hand Hygiene Australia.

Information regarding future GSA training options will be provided by the Commission in 2022.

Careful thought and planning needs to be put into choosing the right person to attend a hand hygiene workshop.  They will usually become the person who conducts the HHC audits, but should also be involved in date review, education, promotion and implementation of improvement strategies. The appropriate person will vary between facilities. Points to consider include:

• Have a background as a clinical health professional
• Availability to attend Auditor training
• Have time available to conduct audits
• Have a good understanding of auditing/feedback/education processes
• Acknowledge and understand safety and privacy concerns of patients and staff
• Have the ability to provide immediate feedback to staff for good hand hygiene practices, and correct unacceptable performance
• Auditors from a variety of health professions could promote widespread acceptance/ownership/participation in activities to improve hand hygiene within their area.

There are no costs to attend a gold standard auditor workshop

The Commission is consulting with states and territories and the private health sector regarding future options for GSA training. Prior to November 2019, GSAs were validated during specific workshops organised by Hand Hygiene Australia.

Information regarding future GSA training options will be provided by the Commission in 2022.

The role of Gold Standard Auditors (GSAs) is to train General Auditors (GAs) to audit hand hygiene practice effectively and accurately and to contribute to comprehensive hand hygiene practice within their organisation.

A GSA is also able to assist organisations required to contribute audit data as part of the National Hand Hygiene Initiative, with local data validation activities prior to submission of audit data, and also in the implementation of the local hand hygiene program.

Your organisation may have access to a GSA in-house, or through health network or corporate arrangements.

If your organisation is not part of a formal health network or corporate group (i.e. is an independent, standalone organisation or health service), it needs to ensure that it has access to a GSA to provide training for GAs. This can be achieved by establishing a relationship with an organisation that does have a GSA, or an independent GSA who is able to provide GA training when required.