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COMMENT
CSJ THE CLINICAL SERVICES JOURNAL Editor
Louise Frampton
louiseframpton@stepcomms.com
Technical Editor Kate Woodhead Business Manager
Dean Walford
deanwalford@stepcomms.com
Sales Executive Holly Goldring
hollygoldring@stepcomms.com
Journal Administration
Katy Cockle
katycockle@stepcomms.com
Design Steven Dillon Publisher
Geoff King
geoffking@stepcomms.com
Publishing Director Trevor Moon
trevormoon@stepcomms.com
THE CLINICAL SERVICES JOURNAL is published in January, February, March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1892 779999 Fax: +44 (0)1892 616177 Email:
info@clinicalservicesjournal.com Web:
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com
World Hand Hygiene Day
This latest edition of The Clinical Services Journal coincides with the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands global campaign, celebrated annually on 5 May (World Hand Hygiene Day). As such it includes discussion around the risks of cross- contamination, best practice and strategies for improvement.
Launched in 2009, World Hand Hygiene Day aims to maintain global promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene in healthcare and to ‘bring people together’ in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world. For World Hand Hygiene Day 2021, WHO is calling on healthcare workers and facilities to achieve effective hand hygiene action at the point of care. The point of care refers to the place where three elements come together: the patient, the healthcare worker, and care or treatment involving contact with the patient or their surroundings. To be effective and prevent transmission of infectious microorganisms during healthcare delivery, hand hygiene should be performed when it is needed (at five specific moments) and in the most effective way (by using the right technique with readily available products) at the point of care. This can be achieved by using the WHO multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategy. Resources for this can be found at:
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand- hygiene-day/2021 Over the past year, the WHO’s campaign
© Step Communications Ltd, 2021 Single copy: £19.00 per issue. Annual journal subscription: UK £114.00 Overseas: £150.00
ISSN No. 1478-5641
The Publisher is unable to take any responsibility for views expressed by contributors. Editorial views are not necessarily shared by the journal. Readers are expressly advised that while the contents of this publication are believed to be accurate, correct and complete, no reliance should be placed upon its contents as being applicable to any particular circumstances. This publication is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention. All rights reserved, apart from any copying under the UK Copyright Act 1956, part 1, section 7. Multiple copies of the contents of the publication without permission is always illegal.
has taken on even more importance as hospitals have had to fight a new threat in the form of COVID-19. Handwashing, along with effective cleaning and PPE, have been vital to protect staff and patients from transmission and the need to ‘wash your hands’ has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds, like never before. The scientific evidence demonstrates that appropriate hand hygiene is the single most effective action to stop the spread of a whole spectrum of healthcare-associated infections. The WHO points out that: l Appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during healthcare delivery, including those affecting the health work force.
l Appropriate hand hygiene reduces the risk on SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection among healthcare workers.
l Investing in hand hygiene yields huge returns. Implementation of hand hygiene
MAY 2021
policies can generate economic savings averaging 16 times the cost of their implementation.
As the WHO points out, placing effective, hand hygiene products and handwashing facilities at strategic points at the point of care is vital, but technology can also play a role – both in measuring hand hygiene moments and also in nudging healthcare workers to not forget this life saving behaviour at critical times. However, fresh campaign ideas to engage staff will also be needed once the heightened
Appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during healthcare delivery, including those affecting the health work force.
threat of the pandemic eases. While the vaccination programme is advancing at pace, we will still have to live with this virus for years to come. Furthermore, the usual suspects – MRSA, C.difficile, and a host of other healthcare-acquired infections – have not gone away and continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Effective hand hygiene is not only a key measure for preventing the spread of SARS- CoV-2 and HCAIs, but it also vital to tackle the spread of antimicrobial resistance – which arguably poses an even greater threat to human-kind than COVID-19. Ultimately, we need to ensure the message ‘clean your hands’ never becomes tired, ignored or simply ‘background noise’. Going forward, this will require dynamic leadership, energetic champions and innovation.
Louise Frampton l Editor
louiseframpton@stepcomms.com
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