Hand hygiene and environmental hygiene are two key components of an infection prevention and control program but there is some debate as to whether one strategy may be more effective than the other at curbing and/or eliminating healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs). A point/counterpoint discussion on this topic was featured in May 2013 at the spring conference of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) as part of a special educational track addressing "Advancing Healthcare Epidemiology and the Role of the Environment. This slide show is a summary of a recent report on this SHEA presentation.