Hand Hygiene in
Healthcare Settings:
A Summary
The most common mode of transmission of pathogens is
via the hands of healthcare workers and hand hygiene is
accepted as one of the most important measures for preventing
transmission of pathogens in health-care facilities. There is
substantial evidence that hand hygiene reduces the incidence
of healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Alcohol-based hand
rubs have been widely adopted in healthcare facilities because
of their convenience, speed of use, skin health benefits, ability
to be used independently of sinks, and superior efficacy.
In a laboratory setting, plain soaps reduce bacterial counts,
but antimicrobial soaps are better, and ABHR are best.
Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) included the recommendation that ABHR should be
used in the majority of clinical situations in their 2003 Guideline
for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings. Further, the World
Health Organization (WHO) affirmed these recommendations
in their 2009 Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. It is
important to note that there are caveats to the use of ABHR,
and they include when hands are visibly soiled or contaminated
with blood or other bodily fluids. In these situations, the use
of either antimicrobial or non-antimicrobial soap and water
is warranted.
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