Infection prevention is no laughing matter, but never let it be said that infection control professionals don’t have a sense of humor — and dance moves — when it comes to getting their point across.
That was more than evident in the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s sixth annual Film Festival, which was recognized at APIC’s Annual Conference earlier in June. Many of the Film Festival submissions employed humor and music to illustrate key points about such issues as the importance of hand hygiene in stopping the spread of infection and how to prevent the flu.
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s video titled “Stop the Spread of Infection: It’s in Our Hands” took home top honors in this year’s competition. The highly stylized production used rapid-motion video to illustrate how many surfaces we touch in a day and how easily germs can be spread by hands. Aside from drawing the attention of peers at the conference, the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center YouTube video has been viewed more than 2,100 times since it was posted in late January. Check it out below.
Elsewhere in the Film Festival entries, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston parodied Taylor Swift in its Flu Fighters "Shake It Off." Aside from strong vocal performances from the staff, many in the video clearly practiced and perfected their T-Swizzle moves for the performance. It even features subtitles for those who want to sing along.
A similarly game performance was turned in by Children’s Hospital Colorado with its "Wash Me" , a takeoff on singer Silento’s hit "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)."
The video was designed to show patients, families and staff how and why to wash their hands. With more than 5,600 YouTube views since launching in February, it clearly has been a hit. But most importantly, all of the videos send strong messages to the entire health care community about how to prevent infections and why everyone must play a role in this effort. Visit APIC's site to watch the rest of the entries.
