Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance in Healthcare Settings

Prevention of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance's main goal. It centers around four main strategies: infection prevention, infection diagnostics and treatment, wise use of antimicrobials, and transmission prevention.

This guideline provides a review of data regarding handwashing and hand antisepsis in health-care settings, specifically for Health-care Workers (HCWs). In addition, it provides detailed recommendations to promote improved hand-hygiene practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to anyone in a health-care setting.

Studies published since the 1985 CDC guideline and the 1995 APIC guideline were issued and reviewed in this guideline, and provides an in-depth review of hand-hygiene practices of HCWs, adherence levels by personnel to recommended handwashing practices, and factors that adversely affect adherence.

It also goes on to review new studies of the in vivo efficacy of alcohol-based hand rubs and the low incidence of dermatitis associated with their use. There are also summaries of recent studies demonstrating the value of multidisciplinary hand-hygiene promotion programs and the potential role of alcohol-based hand rubs in improving hand-hygiene practices. Even recommendations concerning the use of surgical hand antiseptics, hand lotions or creams, and wearing of artificial fingernails are included.

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