The Significance of Hand Hygiene in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of hand hygiene in healthcare, emphasizing its critical role in infection control and patient safety. It begins by highlighting the historical context and the evolution of hand hygiene practices, tracing back to the early 19th century and the pioneering work of figures like Labarraque and Semmelweis. The report then delves into the contemporary significance of hand hygiene, supported by evidence demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing healthcare-associated infections and mortality rates. It examines the WHO's guidelines and the importance of compliance, addressing factors that influence healthcare workers' adherence to hand hygiene protocols. The report details the recommended methods for hand hygiene, including the use of alcohol-based hand rubs and soap and water, and emphasizes the proper techniques for effective hand washing. It also discusses the importance of hand hygiene in various scenarios, such as before and after patient contact, and when handling medical equipment. Finally, the report underscores the significant impact of hand hygiene on public health, emphasizing its role in preventing the spread of infections and saving lives. It references key studies and research to support its claims, making it a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and students alike.

Hand hygiene in healthcare
Hand Hygiene
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Hand hygiene in healthcare
Hand Hygiene
Introduction
Today, hand hygiene is recognized as an essential element of activities that control
infections. The concept of hand hygiene when treating the patient begun in early 19th century.
The first evidence by Labarraque provided that decontaminating hand has a significant reduction
of the incidences of maternal mortality and puerperal fever (Sickbert-Bennett et al., 2016).
Infections associated with health care are increasingly drawing attention from the regulatory
bodies, governments, insurers and the patients. Today, there is sufficient evidence that adherence
to strict hand hygiene has a significant reduction of risks associated with cross-transmitted
infections (Gould et al., 2017). On WHO global safety program initiative, the prime agenda is
“Clean Care is Safer Care” which is meant to challenge the developing countries to formulate
policies that would ensure the implementation of basic prevention practices.
In USA 99,000 patients' death is caused by nosocomial infections annually. Even as
research shows the importance of hand hygiene favorable attitude by healthcare workers,
observation shows that the rate of compliance falls below 30% (Zingg et al. 2015). Some reasons
for noncompliance given by professionals are factors like human environment, lack of training,
poor infrastructure, nurses' skin conditions, and work conditions (Gould et al., 2017). (Dai,
Milkman, Hofmann & Staats, 2015). Failure to perform hand hygiene as required is considered
one of the primary cause of infections associated with healthcare and the spread of multi-
resistance organisms that contribute to a significant outbreak. Person-person spread of germs and
infections can be significantly reduced and eliminated by maintaining proper personal hygiene
Some germs are naturally on your hands, and others are picked up as you touch surfaces
or objects around you regularly (Zingg et al. 2015). When Health Care Attendant goes about

Hand hygiene in healthcare
their roles in healthcare settings their hands naturally pick up germs which may be dangerous to
their patient and client. Hand hygiene is not only washing but also drying them after wash. The
process of hand hygiene aims at getting rid of all the types of germs as much as possible.
The WHO health care setting guidelines for hand hygiene
Hand hygiene can be done by the use of alcohol hand rubs or by soap and water.
However, Alcohol rubs are mostly not available on health care setting (Tschudin-Sutter,
Sepulcri, Dangel, Schuhmacher & Widmer, 2015). The use of either alcohol rubs or soap and
water during hand wash follows a slightly different process as will be discussed below. However,
it should be noted that in either the process the essential things to do first is starting by removing
any wristwatches and jewelry on your hands to clean the skin they usually cover and then rolling
your sleeves up (Luangasanatip et al., 2015). During the hand wash, the most forgotten parts of
the hand include fingerprints and thumbs even as they are the most normal parts that get into
contact with the patients.
But having all this brings a question as to when to perform hand hygiene. Hand hygiene
can be delivered to get rid of germs which may get into your hands through means like
client/patient sneezing, or coughing near you or touching your hands. It can also be through
handling wastes products from a client. To maintain hand hygiene, wash your hands before or
after physical contact with the patient, and after taking gloves off. It is also recommended that,
before putting the personal protective equipment and after taking it off, when giving patients
food or drinks, after making a bed for a client, after helping the client from the toilet and after
removing any wastes from the clients (Chassin, Mayer & Nether, 2015).
WHOs’ guidelines for hand hygiene includes
 Wet hands using water

Hand hygiene in healthcare
 Application of plenty of soap and handwash covering the entire pam on the sides.
 Palm to palm Rubbing
 Each palm above the other with interlocked fingers
 Fingers interlaced to each palm
 Interlocking fingers to opposing fingers to back of fingers
 Rotational rubbing of palm from one to the other repeatedly
 Backward and forward holding fingers of the right hand in left palm and vice
versa
 Rinsing hand with water
 Thoroughly dry your hands with a towel.
 Use the same towel to turn off the tap
When cleaning your hands in health care setting do not use bar soap as they are not
acceptable unless where it is for single personal use (Luangasanatip et al., 2015). Also, use liquid
containers until empty without refilling them to avoid the possible contamination from residual
soap. In critical care areas like ICUs or when performing invisible procedures, antibacterial soap
can be used (Stahmeyer, Lutze, Von Lengerke, Chaberny & Krauth, 2017).
Alcohol-based hand rubs according to WHO patient safety 2009 have benefit like
eliminating the majority of germs, action requires a short time of between 20-30 seconds, there is
the availability of the product at the point of care, there is better skin tolerability, and no
infrastructure required (Wetzker et al., 2016)). They are, therefore, to be used where tap water is
not available.
Importance of hand hygiene

Hand hygiene in healthcare
The importance of hand hygiene was first realized in the 19th century by Vienna hospital.
In those times, there was high rate maternal death, which led to Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis asking
his staff to wash their hand before treating the patient, and this drastically lowered the death rate
(Sickbert-Bennett et al., 2016). The simple activity of hand washing regularly has a high
significance in saving more lives than any particular intervention or single vaccine (Chassin et
al., 2015). Hand hygiene is the most inexpensive ways to prevent diarrhea and pneumonia
diseases. These two diseases kill more than 3.5 million children worldwide who are below five
years annually (Gould et al., 2017). Many people practice hand washing across the world, but
those who use soap when washing their hands are very few.
Conclusion
Practicing Hand hygiene among nurses not only reduces nurse risk of getting sick but
also prevents them from infecting their patients. Mild conditions like the common cold can be
outspread through hand contact or even more dangerous diseases. Hand washing should not only
involve washing them with water but washing soap as well. After washing hands, it is always
advisable to dry them up. Hand hygiene dramatically reduces the likelihood of infections causing
diseases and is one of the most recognized practical activities that control the infections. Germs
in hand may occur naturally or exist in hands or contracted through touching surfaces or dirty
equipment.

Hand hygiene in healthcare

Hand hygiene in healthcare
References
Chassin, M. R., Mayer, C., & Nether, K. (2015). Improving hand hygiene at eight hospitals in the
United States by targeting specific causes of noncompliance. The Joint Commission
Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 41(1), 4-12.
Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., Hofmann, D. A., & Staats, B. R. (2015). The impact of time at work
and time off from work on rule compliance: the case of hand hygiene in health
care. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(3), 846.
Gould, D. J., Creedon, S., Jeanes, A., Drey, N. S., Chudleigh, J., & Moralejo, D. (2017). Impact
of observing hand hygiene in practice and research: a methodological
reconsideration. Journal of hospital infection, 95(2), 169-174.
Gould, D. J., Moralejo, D., Drey, N., Chudleigh, J. H., & Taljaard, M. (2017). Interventions to
improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care. Cochrane database of systematic
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Luangasanatip, N., Hongsuwan, M., Limmathurotsakul, D., Lubell, Y., Lee, A. S., Harbarth,
S., ... & Cooper, B. S. (2015). Comparative efficacy of interventions to promote hand
hygiene in hospital: systematic review and network meta-analysis. bmj, 351, h3728.
Sickbert-Bennett, E. E., DiBiase, L. M., Willis, T. M. S., Wolak, E. S., Weber, D. J., & Rutala,
W. A. (2016). Reduction of healthcare-associated infections by exceeding high
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Stahmeyer, J. T., Lutze, B., Von Lengerke, T., Chaberny, I. F., & Krauth, C. (2017). Hand
hygiene in intensive care units: a matter of time?. Journal of Hospital Infection, 95(4),
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Hand hygiene in healthcare
Tschudin-Sutter, S., Sepulcri, D., Dangel, M., Schuhmacher, H., & Widmer, A. F. (2015).
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