Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene
Key Points
Key Points
- Hand hygiene programs should strive to create a culture of safety in which all healthcare personnel (HCP) collaborate to protect patients or residents.
- Interprofessional dialogue and safe spaces for learning about hand hygiene provide motivation and engagement of HCP.
- This pocket guide highlights practical recommendations to assist acute care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing efforts to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) through hand hygiene.
- It is based on a synthesis of evidence, theoretical rationale, current practices, practical considerations, author consensus, and consideration of potential harm, where applicable.
- No guideline or expert guidance document can anticipate all clinical situations. This pocket guide is not meant to be a substitute for individual clinical judgment by qualified professionals.
Recommendations
...mmendation...
...ommendations to Prevent Healthcare-Associ...
...ractices: foundational to all HAI preventio...
...maintenance of healthy hand skin...
...te the preferential use of alcohol-based hand...
...rm hand hygiene as indicated by the US Cente...
...Include fingernail care in facility-sp...
...lude measures for primary and secondary prevention...
.... Provide HCP with readily accessible, fac...
...Engage all HCP in primary prevention o...
g. Provide cotton glove liners for HCP with...
...Select appropriate products. (H = High)...
...utine hand hygiene, choose liquid, gel, o...
...nvolve HCP in selection of products....
...nsider manufacturers’ product-specifi...
.... Confirm that the volume of ABHS dispen...
...ate HCP about an appropriate volume of A...
f. Provide facility-approved hand mois...
...surgical antisepsis, use an FDA-approve...
...nsure the accessibility of hand hyg...
...nsure that ABHS dispensers are unambiguous, v...
...rooms, consider 2 ABHS dispensers th...
c. In semiprivate rooms, suites, bays...
...that the placement of hand hygiene su...
...valuate the risk of intentional cons...
...hand rub and scrub available in perioperat...
g. Consider providing ABHS hand rubs or handwash...
...nsure appropriate glove use to reduce han...
...es for all contact with the patien...
...P about the potential for self-contaminati...
.... Clean hands immediately following glo...
...onfirm the ability of HCP to doff glo...
...to reduce environmental contamination associated w...
...andwashing sinks are constructed accord...
...ashing sinks in water infection control risk ass...
...sible, dedicate sinks to handwashing....
...HCP to refrain from disposing substances that p...
...ited States Environmental Protection Agency (E...
...Do not keep medications or patient care supplie...
...sposable or single-use towels to dry hands. Do not...
...onsult with state or local public h...
...adherence to hand hygiene. (H = Hig...
...le methods to measure adherence to hand hygie...
...r advantages and limitations of each type of moni...
...Provide timely and meaningful feedback to enh...
...ovide feedback in multiple formats (e.g., v...
...Consider debriefing unit managers as soon as pos...
...meaningful data with clear targets linked...
...tional Approaches: may be considered for use in l...
.... Consider educating HCP using a st...
...erborne pathogens of premise plumbing, c...
...For Clostridioides difficile and noro...
...es that Should Not be Considered a Routin...
4. Do not supply individual pocket-sized ABHS di...
.... Do not refill or “top-off ” soap dis...
...Do not use antimicrobial soaps for...
...Do not routinely double-glove except w...
...ely disinfect gloves during care except...
...not remove access to ABHS when respondin...
...o not attempt to remediate potential biofilms in...
...olved Issues
...CP use of alcohol-impregnated hand wipes is...
...tions for Hand HygieneHaving trouble vie...
...ds to Measure Hand HygieneHaving trouble viewing t...
...e and Timing of Feedback by Hand Hygien...
...e 5. Metrics for Reporting Adherence to Hand...