|Articles|May 25, 2017

Hand Hygiene: A Guidebook Exploring a Key Foundation of Infection Prevention and Control

Whether it's soap-and-water handwashing or using an antiseptic hand wash, an alcohol-based handrub (ABHR), or a surgical hand antisepsis product, hand hygiene remains a cornerstone of infection prevention and control practice. Despite indications that hand hygiene can help control the transmission of infectious microorganisms as part of a multi-modal approach, as well as innovations in product and dispenser design to enhance the user experience, hand hygiene rates remain sub-optimally low.

Report summary

This guidebook is designed to provide an overview of some of the imperatives related to hand hygiene in healthcare settings, including barriers to compliance, healthcare personnel behavioral issues, the importance of proper hand hygiene, compliance monitoring, product evaluation and selection, and much more.

Editor's Take

Whether you are an infection preventionist needing to educate clinicians and other healthcare personnel about hand hygiene, or a healthcare worker or other hospital stakeholder who needs to brush up on the basics of hand antisepsis, this guidebook has something for everyone. The take-away message is that hand hygiene is the responsibility of everyone, and serves as a foundation for other infection control practices in a multi-modal intervention bundle.