Prevent Person-Based Transmission
Hand hygiene is a fundamental practice for reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, adherence rates for hand hygiene varies widely across units and hospitals and is often surprisingly low.
Hospitals aiming to improve and sustain high adherence to appropriate and effective hand hygiene should utilize multiple approaches.
This section covers hand hygiene, its significance to MRSA prevention, and methods for monitoring adherence.
Presentations
After reviewing the content of this presentation, viewers will be able to:
- Describe the key best practice recommendations for hand hygiene in healthcare settings.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various hand hygiene measurement methodologies.
- Review the current recommendations for implementation of a comprehensive hand hygiene promotion and measurement program to prevent MRSA transmission and infection.
Documents:
- Hand Hygiene Promotion – Slides (PPTX, 12. 3 MB)
- Hand Hygiene Promotion – Facilitator Guide (DOCX, 9.9 MB)
One-Pagers
One Pager: Hand Hygiene Adherence Monitoring Methods One-Pager (DOCX, 759 KB)
Provides a summary of different methods to monitor hand hygiene adherence, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Tools & Resources
CUSP Topic: What Are The 4 Es?
The 4 Es – Engage, Educate, Execute, and Evaluate – addresses both the technical objectives of improving hygiene practices and the adaptive objectives of establishing a culture of patient safety among staff and leadership. This link will direct you to the CUSP topic page on the 4 Es.
Video: Hand-washing Steps Using the WHO Technique – Johns Hopkins Medicine
This video provides a step-by-step training demonstration of proper hand-washing technique according to WHO guidelines. Originally developed by Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control. This video is publicly available on YouTube.
Video: Hand Rubbing Steps Using the WHO Technique – Johns Hopkins Medicine
This video provides a step-by-step demonstration of how to use alcohol hand-rub correctly, following WHO guidelines. Originally developed by Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control. This video is publicly available on YouTube.
HICPAC Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings (2002)
This set of guideline for hand hygiene in healthcare settings was developed as a collaboration of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
This expert guidance document discusses strategies for hand hygiene to prevent HAIs. It is part of the 2022 Update to the SHEA/IDSA/APIC Compendium of Strategies to Prevent HAIs, a collaborative effort of SHEA, IDSA, APIC, the American Hospital Association, and The Joint Commission.
The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a range of useful resources and tools for hand hygiene. Some of these resources are highlighted below:
- WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (2009)
- WHO Five Moments for Hand Hygiene
- WHO How to Handwash? Poster
- WHO How to Handrub? Poster
- WHO Glove Use Guidelines
- WHO Hand Hygiene Training Tools
- WHO World Hand Hygiene Day
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers many promotional and educational materials for public use. The CDC's "Clean Hands Count" campaign specifically targets healthcare professionals and includes a variety of resources. Some of these are highlighted below:
