It Is Time for Action: Improving Hand Hygiene in Hospitals

As delivery of medical care moves increasingly to outpatient settings, patients who require hospitalization have a heightened susceptibility to nosocomial infections. This is an editorial review of several studies regarding hand washing compliance to counteract such nosocomial infections.

This document argues that many nosocomial infections are caused by pathogens transmitted from one patient to another by way of healthcare workers who have not washed their hands between patients. Although it has been demonstrated - up to 150 years ago - that mortality related to hospital-acquired infections could be reduced when healthcare personnel washed their hands with an Antiseptic solution between patient contacts, compliance of to these recommended handwashing practices remains shockingly low.

Many factors are involved when trying to explain why compliance with recommended handwashing practices so poor. They include: lack of awareness among personnel about the situations that call for handwashing, personal and organizational attitudes toward handwashing, and various other logistical barriers.

Many health care workers do not wash their hands after what they consider to be "low-risk" patient contacts. This is likely due to them thinking that their hands may become Contaminated while measuring the patient's blood pressure or pulse, touching intact areas of the patient's skin, or lifting a patient.

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