Healthcare Workers Disregarding Key Step in Hand Hygiene Protocol

Medscape Medical News is reporting on a survey from the World Health Organization (WHO) showing that almost 50 percent of healthcare workers around the globe are not washing their hands before providing care to a patient. This critical step is Moment 1 in the WHO's "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" and the survey data were presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases held recently.

The WHO's "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" is part of the "of Save Lives: Clean Your Hands" campaign launched by the WHO's Clean Care is Safer Care program.

The five moments of hand hygiene are as follows:

1. Before touching a patient

2. Before clean/aseptic procedures

3. After body fluid exposure/risk

4. After touching a patient

5. After touching patient surroundings

For more information from the WHO, CLICK HERE.