14 Apr Prevention: Patient participation.
Hand hygiene is our first ally against infections, a simple but essential action that ensures protection and prevention in both the home and healthcare settings.
According to the US CDC, hand hygiene is the most effective way of fighting infections.
The most common infections are care related, i.e. those that occur during healthcare procedures in hospitals or at home and in therapies that take place at home with the support of a caregiver.
In addition to contact infections, infections from the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are also a source of risk.
The World Health Organization has recognized the importance of hand hygiene several times, to the point that this simple but good habit has a World Day dedicated to it, which is celebrated on May 5 every year.
The World Hand Hygiene day is inspired by the motto ‘Saves lives: clean your hands’, a strong message that contains the power of prevention to protect everyone’s life.
Hand hygiene plays a fundamental role in our health and that of other people, especially in care settings.
HAIs are a global problem affecting approximately 7-10% of patients, depending on the country.
In Italy, it is estimated that 5-8% of hospitalized patients contract a healthcare associated infection (source Istituto Superiore di Sanità – ISS).
Not all HAIs can be prevented, but it is estimated that at least half of them could be avoided.
The implementation of hygiene measures in clean healthcare prevents HAIs and the transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms in both care settings and the community.
The prevention of HAIs is also of essential importance in order to reduce drug-resistant infections and the spread of resistant microorganisms.
Numerous studies have shown that investments aimed at spreading the habit of proper hand hygiene are opportune because they imply:
-a direct improvement in health results
-a reduction of costs related to healthcare
-the monitoring and tracking of quality levels offered by health facilities
-the implementation of strategies verified as being effective
-operations that are part of a scalable and adaptable initiative in different contexts (for example, it can be implemented both in hospitals and in various aspects of daily life).