Video Developed by Kutztown Resident Juanita Kaness Teaches Local Children About Hand Hygiene

PHILADELPHIA, PA (02/15/2011)(readMedia)-- A video developed by Juanita Kaness, DNP, RN, WHNP-BC, a resident of Kutztown, PA, is now the centerpiece of an outreach campaign about hand hygiene for children in the Delaware Valley.

Kaness developed Wash Your Hands!, a video for children of all ages, as part of an online Health Care Quality and Patient Safety course in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) curriculum at Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson School of Nursing. She worked with classmate Anne Markham, RN, MSN, ANP-BC, AOCN, of Philadelphia, PA, on the project. The assignment required students to partner with healthcare facilities, health professions schools and elementary schools to produce a variety of short educational hand hygiene videos.

With support from their professor, Dr. Mary Lou Manning, Director of the DNP Program, and Dr. Anthony Frisby, Director of Education Services at Thomas Jefferson University, Kaness and Markham shared their final work with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter. The timing was perfect, as APIC was developing a community outreach campaign about hand hygiene. APIC immediate past president Christine Young, MBA, MT, CIC and chapter members made the video the centerpiece of the initiative. They provided generous support to produce copies of the DVD and are now distributing the video to elementary schools and day care centers in the region.