Learn and teach hand hygiene to your family, friends and patients on this World Hand Hygiene Day May 5, 2014

 

World Hand Hygiene Day takes place on May 05, 2014. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this day to encourage patients and their family members to join health workers in their efforts to practice good hand hygiene. According to WHO, every year, hundreds of millions of patients around the world are affected by health care-associated infections. More than half of these infections could be prevented by caregivers properly cleaning their hands at key moments in patient care.

Hand hygiene is the act of cleaning ones hands with or without the use of water or another liquid, or with the use of soap, for the purpose of removing soil, dirt, and/or microorganisms.

 Medical hand hygiene pertains to the hygiene practices related to the administration of medicine and medical care that prevents or minimizes disease and the spreading of disease. The main medical purpose of washing hands is to cleanse the hands of pathogens (including bacteria or viruses) and chemicals which can cause personal harm or disease.

Hand hygiene is especially important for people who handle food or work in the medical field, but it is also an important practice for the general public. People can become infected with respiratory illnesses such as influenza or the common cold, for example, if they don't wash their hands before touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. 

Decontaminating hands reduces the amount of germs present on hands through the use of special alcohol based preparations, in the form of solutions, gels or foams. 
Alcohol based preparations have two distinct advantages over soap and water:
1 - They kill many more germs
2 - They are less drying to your skin
While alcohol based preparations reduce the germs on your hands, they cannot remove visible soil or contamination.  It is always important to WASH hands with soap and water any time they are visibly dirty.

Types of Healthcare Associated Infections

Some common HCAIs are:

• Urinary tract infections
• Pneumonia
• Wound infections

These HCAIs are usually easy to treat and cure, but occasionally may be serious. Treatment often includes the use of antibiotics; drugs that are effective in treating infections caused by bacteria.
Unfortunately, some bacteria are more difficult to treat because they have developed resistance to standard antibiotics. These bacteria are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.  Two examples of “superbugs” are:

• ‘Staph’ or ‘golden staph’ - the real name of which is methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• Vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE), which is caused by a resistant germ

The appropriate use of antibiotics, and good Hand Hygiene are important in minimising the spread of these "superbugs".

Reducing your risk

There are several things that you can do to optimise your health and reduce your risk of HCAIs:

During your stay

• Wash your hands carefully after handling any type of dirty material, and after you have gone to the bathroom/toilet 
• Do not be afraid to remind doctors and nurses about hand hygiene