Experts Encourage Observance of Clean Your Hands Campaign

Peters, et al. (2019) provide a commentary timed around this year's Clean Your Hands campaign, and note that, "Quality healthcare should be available to everyone. The World Health Organization (WHO)'s concept of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), embodies the urgent need for access to healthcare for all people around the world. In addition to access, the concept of UHC incorporates the critical element of the necessary quality of delivered health care services. Infection prevention and control (IPC) with hand hygiene as the most effective measure, is a practical and evidence-based approach with demonstrated impact on quality of care and patient safety across all levels of the health system."

The experts continue, "Each year, the WHO SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign aims to bring people together in support of hand hygiene improvement globally on or around May 5. This year’s theme for global annual hand hygiene day reflects a strong focus on providing clean care equally protecting all patients and healthcare workers from infection and antimicrobial resistance transmission, across all countries, including in low-resource settings. WHO urges ministries of health, health facility leaders, IPC leaders, health workers, and patient advocacy groups to contribute to effective IPC action including hand hygiene as a cornerstone of quality in healthcare." 

WHO invites all healthcare facilities to join the 2019 WHO Global Survey on IPC and Hand Hygiene by using two validated assessment tools; one for evaluating the core components of IPC programs and the other for a deep dive in hand hygiene activities (https://www.who.int/infection-prevention/campaigns/ipc-global-survey-2019/en/).

Reference: Peters A, et al. “Clean care for all-it’s in your hands”: the May 5th, 2019 World Health Organization SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control. 2019;8:64