The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and 3M Infection Prevention have partnered in a hand hygienic campaign to bring awareness to one of the most effective and least costly ways to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

The It’s In Your Hands user-generated video contest began on December 1, 2009 and is asking participating healthcare facilities to create a video about hand hygiene. The video should demonstrate step by step best practices which can be used as a teaching tool to help colleagues and staff reduce their own risk in the surgical setting.

Videos may range in length depending on which of the three categories you chose to demonstrate including; hand rub for the Operating Room, hand washing with soap and water or surgical scrub for the Operating Room.

Submissions to the It’s In Your Hands video contest will be accepted until January 18, 2010. The AORN Recommended Practices Committee will review all of the entries and select three finalists according to compliance with Recommended Practices for Hand Hygiene in the Perioperative Setting, AORN, July 2009.

The top three videos will be featured on the AORN website and will be open for public voting from February 2, 2010 until February 22, 2010. The grand prize winner will be selected based on the most votes.

The winner of the It’s In Your Hands contest will receive a $5000 educational grant from 3M that can be redeemed for any AORN education and reference materials, programs or services. The winning video will also be publicly announced at AORN Congress in Denver on March 13-18, 2010.